Lionel Messi, captain of the Argentine soccer team, will be out of the next Albiceleste matches due to a muscle injury in his right leg, the team reported this Monday, March 18.
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Neither against El Salvador, nor against Costa Rica: Lionel Messi will not be able to play any of the two friendly matches that await the Albiceleste in the United States.
The 'Pulga' “will not be able to be in the squad due to a small injury to the hamstring of his right leg,” the official account of the team coached by Lionel Scaloni published on Monday, March 18.
After Messi missed his team's Inter Miami match against DC United on Saturday, his coach on the US team, Gerardo 'Tata' Martino, explained that the important thing was that the Albiceleste captain was in good shape. conditions to play the quarterfinal match of the Concacaf Champions Cup on April 3.
“The injury, beyond today's absence, must be managed week by week,” Martino said in the press conference that followed Saturday's game. “We will constantly evaluate it,” he added.
Messi was injured while playing for Inter Miami against Nashville SC last week.
Other changes in the Argentine team
In addition to Messi, forward Paulo Dybala (AS Roma), midfielder Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen) and defender Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth) will also not play in the friendly matches.
Scaloni opted to add midfielder Guido Rodríguez (Betis) and defender Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United) to the team, who is recovering from a knee injury suffered in February.
To make up for Senesi's loss, Scaloni brought in central defender Nicolás Valentini (Boca Juniors).
Argentina's match against El Salvador is scheduled for March 22, and on the 26th they will face the Costa Rican team. Both friendlies are preparatory matches for the Copa América, which will be played in the United States in June and July.
With EFE and AFP
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