Lionel Messi Injury News: Head coach Lionel Scaloni has confirmed that Lionel Messi will play against Iceland on Tuesday in Auburn, Alabama, in Argentina’s final warm-up match before the FIFA World Cup 2026. Despite participating in the pre-match warm-up, Messi was unable to play in Argentina’s 2-0 friendly victory against Honduras on June 6 because he was still recovering from left hamstring strain. After feeling uncomfortable during his team’s MLS match against the Philadelphia Union before to the league’s suspension for the World Cup, the Inter Miami attacker joined the national team camp.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Will Lionel Messi play against Iceland?
Yes, Lionel Messi will be playing Argentina’s final warm-up game against Iceland ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Speaking ahead of the Iceland clash, Scaloni said Argentina would carefully manage the workload of several players, including the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. “Messi will play, I just don’t know how many minutes,” Scaloni said in a press conference. “I still need to talk to him in today’s training, and we will see how many minutes he plays to avoid any type of risks. We will decide, but in principle he will play.”
FIFA World Cup 2026: Argentina under a cloud of injuries to key players
The Argentina coach added that the squad’s minutes would be monitored closely as the reigning world champions prepare for their title defence. “We’re going to distribute the minutes of the players who will play tomorrow to try to avoid any mishaps,” said the World Cup-winning coach.
Argentina Squad: Update on Nico Paz, Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel
Scaloni also confirmed that Nico Paz, Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel are available for selection after recovering from injuries that had forced them to train separately in recent days. Meanwhile, the coach provided positive updates on Julian Alvarez and Leandro Paredes, both of whom have been dealing with fitness concerns. “Julian Alvarez is doing well; he has an ankle discomfort that’s going away,” Scaloni said. “Lea Paredes is also coming along well; in the next few days, he’ll be able to rejoin the group.”
FIFA World Cup 2026: Who will replace Leonardo Balerdi in the Argentina Squad?
Argentina are still weighing options to replace defender Leonardo Balerdi, who was ruled out of the World Cup after suffering a calf injury and leaving the squad last week. “We’ll have a clearer picture tomorrow after the match regarding his replacement,” Scaloni said. “We can cover Balerdi’s position, but we are also looking at other options depending on how the rest of the injured players progress.”
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