Lionel Messi got injured during Argentina’s campaign last month. He was unable to participate in their second match of the month against Bolivia. After he returned to Inter Miami, he stayed sidelined for all of their matches barring one until Miami’s match against Cincinnati yesterday. Even in the two matches that Messi appeared in, it was as a substitute. No updates came on Messi’s injury when Argentina coach selected Messi for their upcoming fixtures. However, considering Messi came on Miami’s last game, he could play for La Albicelestes.
Argentina squad for October fixtures
Goalkeepers: Franco Armani, Juan Musso, Emiliano Martinez, Walter Benitez
Defenders: German Pezzella, Gonzalo Montiel, Nicolas Otamendi, Lucas Esquivel, Nicolas Tagliafico, Marcos Sensei, Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Juan Foyth, Lisandro Martinez, Facundo Medina
Midfielders: Exequiel Palacios, Leandro Paredes, Thiago Almada, Angel Di Maria, Facundo Buonanotte, Bruno Zapelli, Rodrigo De Paul, Guido Rodriguez, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister
Attackers: Lionel Messi, Alan Velasco, Nicolas Gonzalez, Julian Alvarez, Alejandro Garnacho, Lucas Beltran, Angel Correa, Lautaro Martinez
Since Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami in late July, he played in a 3-4 day gap till early September. It helped the team improve and win their first-ever trophy by winning the Leagues Cup. However, considering his age, fatigue would happen sooner or later. Even though it wasn’t fatigue, Messi suffered an injury. During Argentina’s matches last month, Messi travelled with the team and played in their first match against Ecuador. However, he was unable to play in their second match against Bolivia.
An injured Messi came back to the United States. Since his return to Inter Miami, he came on as a substitute and played 37 minutes during their 4-0 win against Toronto FC. Without any updates on the extent of Messi’s injury, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni included him in the squad. Messi missed around 5 matches until their last match against Cincinnati yesterday. Even in this match, Messi played 35 minutes, but couldn’t help them win. This defeat saw Miami fail to qualify for the MLS play-offs.
However, he still played in the match. Hence, there is a chance that Messi will feature in Argentina’s next two matches this month. Their first game is against Paraguay at home on 14th October and against Peru on 18th October. They are currently sitting in 2nd position in the table with the same points as Brazil, but with a lesser goal difference. Scaloni will hope to feature Messi in the starting XI. However, it’s still unsure whether Messi will be able to play a full match.
Lionel Messi and Co. went into the World Cup with a 36-game unbeaten streak. They lost the very first game of the World Cup group stage against Saudi Arabia. However, since then, they started another winning streak that has extended to 12 games following a number of friendlies. Messi was not the only surprise inclusion from coach Scaloni, but he also called in some new players. They include AC Milan’s Marco Pellegrino, Southampton’s Carlos Alcaraz, and Messi’s teammate and Inter Miami player Facundo Farias.
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