Lionel Messi will miss two World Cup qualifiers after he was left out of the Argentina squad for games against Uruguay and Brazil on Monday because he reportedly suffered an injury in a club game the day before.
After missing three games for his Inter Miami club at the start of March with a pulled muscle, 37-year-old Messi returned with a goal off the bench in a CONCACAF Champions Cup win. He played a full 90 minutes and scored again in an MLS win in Atlanta on Sunday but then felt muscle discomfort, Argentinian media reported.
Argentina, the defending World Cup champions, can ensure qualification for next year’s tournament in their two games in the current international group.
They lead the 10-team South American qualifying group by five points from Uruguay and visit Montevideo on Friday before hosting Brazil in Buenos Aires on March 25.
The list of players for both games excludes Messi, according to the list published on the Argentine national team’s X social media account.
The top six teams qualify directly for the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The seventh-placed team is currently Bolivia with 13 points.
After 12 rounds, Messi is the top scorer in the competition with six goals.
Argentina is also without injured Roma striker Paulo Dybala and River Plate full-back Paulo Montiel.
Brazil will be without 33-year-old Neymar, who has suffered a thigh injury and has had to postpone his return to the national team, who are fifth, seven points behind Argentina.
Argentina squad
«La Pulga’s» absence is significant due to the magnitude of the matches: Argentina will face the only two other South American countries with world championship titles and with whom it maintains a historic rivalry.
Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni released a list of players for the double date of the qualifiers.
Goalkeepers will be Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa, ENG), Gerónimo Rulli (Marseille, FRA), Walter Benítez (PSV Eindhoven, NED).
Defending is Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid, ESP), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille, FRA), Cristian Romero (Tottenham, ENG), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica, POR), Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon, FRA), Facundo Medina (Lens, FRA), Juan Foyth (Villarreal, ESP), Germán Pezzella (River Plate)
Leandro Paredes (Roma, ITA), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool, ENG), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid, ESP), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen, GER), Máximo Perrone (Como, ITA), Enzo Fernández (Chelsea, ENG), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid, ESP), Benjamín Domínguez (Bologne, ITA) and Thiago Almada (Lyon, FRA) will be the team’s midfielders.
And Argentina forwards will be Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan, ITA), Julián Alvarez (Atletico Madrid, ESP), Ángel Correa (Atletico Madrid, ESP), Nicolás Paz (Como, ITA), Santiago Castro (Bologna, ITA), Nicolás González (Juventus, ITA).
— Times/AFP
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