Argentina coach Jose Pekerman has named a 16-man squad for a two-day training camp in Madrid next week.

The Argentine Football Association were quick to point out that the idea of the get-together is merely to assess the physical and mental condition of the players, but it is believed the 16 will all make the final 23-man World Cup squad.

There are two major surprises in the party in the form of Roma defender Leandro Cufre and West Ham full-back Lionel Scaloni, neither of whom have been regulars since Pekerman took charge.

Some of the names missing also came as a shock, with Valencia's Pablo Aimar, Bayern Munich's Martin Demichelis, Internazionale's Javier Zanetti and Carlos Tevez of Corinthians all overlooked.

Argentina's training squad:

Goalkeepers: Roberto Abbondanzieri (Boca Juniors), Leonardo Franco (Atletico Madrid).

Defenders: Nicolas Burdisso (Inter Milan), Gabriel Milito (Real Zaragoza), Juan Pablo Sorin (Villarreal), Fabricio Coloccini (Deportivo Coruna), Leandro Cufre (AS Roma), Roberto Ayala (Valencia), Gabriel Heinze (Manchester United), Lionel Scaloni (West Ham United).

Midfielders: Maximiliano Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid), Esteban Cambiasso (Inter Milan), Luis Gonzalez (Porto), Juan Roman Riquelme (Villarreal).

Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Hernan Crespo (Chelsea).