BUENOS AIRES – Lionel Messi will be fit for Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil, despite his lack of game time, coach Lionel Scaloni said on Wednesday.
Messi’s Inter Miami side failed to enter the Major League Soccer (MLS) play-offs after losing 13 of their first 18 games, and he had been out of action for almost a month in the middle of the season.
But Scaloni is confident that his captain and talisman will do just fine against Uruguay on Thursday (Friday morning, Singapore time) and in the big clash against Brazil next Tuesday.
“Messi is fine, he is doing well. Even though he’s played one game in the last 25 days, he’s been training normally, he’s fit and good,” he said on Wednesday.
Record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi played his last competitive match with Miami on Oct 21, with the team failing to make the MLS post-season after winning the Leagues Cup in August.
For his country, the 36-year-old’s brace gave Argentina a 2-0 victory over Peru in October.
Scaloni, meanwhile, could not hide his excitement at coming up against his former Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa, who is now in charge of Uruguay.
“All of us who have passed through his hands (as a coach) are marked. It’s a satisfaction to be able to face him and greet him,” he said.
World champions Argentina are top of the South American qualifying group with a perfect 12 points from four wins. Uruguay are second with seven points, level with third-placed Brazil and fourth-placed Venezuela.
“This team has already shown that it is capable of playing against any opponent... We will rise to the occasion, we are ready to compete,” Scaloni added.
Over in the Brazil camp, coach Fernando Diniz insisted that no Selecao player should feel the pressure to take over the role of Neymar, sidelined with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus, as he looked ahead to matches against Colombia and Argentina.
The 31-year-old captain underwent surgery earlier in November after picking up the left knee injury on international duty, with his recovery expected to last until mid-2024.
Despite losing the country’s top scorer, Diniz is not expecting a new hero to emerge in a young team brimming with talent, who are set to face Colombia on Thursday.
“Nobody has to worry about taking over Neymar’s role. We have an extremely talented generation,” he said.
“Many can take on this role, but it’s important that we don’t put that weight on them. The players have to feel light and do their best. They’ll naturally take centre stage.”
Diniz added that players such as Barcelona’s Raphinha, Real Madrid’s Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr., or Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus can shine in Neymar’s absence.
The 49-year-old coach has also handed a first call-up to Palmeiras’ teenage prodigy Endrick, who is set to join Real in July.
“(Endrick) is here because of his merit and enormous future potential,” he said.
“We don’t have to expect everything from a 17-year-old Endrick. But I see huge potential. He could become one of those legendary players in Brazilian football, but time will tell.” REUTERS
