Real Zaragoza striker Diego Milito, who scored four goals against Real Madrid in the Spanish King's Cup semi-finals last week, has been called up by Argentina coach Jose Peckerman for their international friendly match against Croatia in Switzerland on March 1.

Milito, who is also equal third top-scorer in La Liga with 11 goals, has been included in an 18-man squad by coach Jose Pekerman for Argentina's only scheduled friendly before the World Cup Finals kick-off on June 9, with Peckerman hoping to secure another couple of matches in May according to Argentine media.

This will only be Milito’s second call-up from Peckerman, and the only previous time the Albiceleste coach called up Milito was for an unofficial match against a Catalunya selection back in December 2004. But under the former Argentina coach, Marcelo Bielsa, Milito won seven caps and scored three goals.

Milito's four goals for Zaragoza eliminated Real Madrid’s ‘Galacticos’ in the Spanish cup last week, and he will be joining his brother Gabriel, a former Zaragoza team-mate and a near certainty for Germany, in the squad.

Hernan Crespo and Carlos Tevez are the only real striking certainties for the Argentina squad in Germany, and Pekerman appears to be undecided about which other strikers to add to his World Cup squad from a group which also includes Julio Cruz, Luciano Figueroa and Javier Saviola.

Back from injury is the Villarreal playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme, who is almost fully recovered from a thigh injury and hoping to make it back for his club match for Villareal against Glasgow Rangers in next weeks Champions League encounter.

Inter Milan right back Javier Zanetti, 32, has been omitted from Peckerman’s squad, calling up three defenders who are on the fringe of his squad, Zaragoza's Leonardo Ponzio, Lionel Scaloni, nicknamed 'The Bull', is a right-back who can also operate in midfield. who is on loan at West Ham United and has already impressed, and Inter's Nicolas Burdisso.

Three other well established Argentine internationals are all absent through injury, Roberto Ayala, Javier Mascherano and Manchester United’s Gabriel Heinze are recovering from surgery, but all are hoping to make it to the finals in Germany.

Argentina squad (team to be chosen from):

Goalkeeper: Leonardo Franco (Atletico Madrid)

Defenders: Walter Samuel (Inter Milan), Nicolas Burdisso (Inter Milan), Gabriel Milito (Real Zaragoza), Leonardo Ponzio (Real Zaragoza), Fabricio Coloccini (Deportivo Coruna), Lionel Scaloni (West Ham United)

Midfielders: Martin Demichelis (Bayern Munich), Juan Roman Riquelme (Villarreal), Juan Pablo Sorin (Villarreal), Esteban Cambiasso (Inter Milan), Pablo Aimar (Valencia), Luis Gonzalez (Porto), Maxi Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid)

Forwards: Hernan Crespo (Chelsea), Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona), Carlos Tevez (Corinthians), Diego Milito (Real Zaragoza).

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