Lionel Messi omitted from Argentina squad for World Cup qualifiers

Photo: Instagram/@leomessi

Lionel Messi will not play in Argentina’s upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Uruguay and Brazil. On Monday, the 37-year-old was left out of the squad due to an injury he reportedly picked up while playing for his club, Inter Miami, the day before.

Earlier this month, Messi had already missed three games for Inter Miami because of a muscle injury. However, he made a strong comeback, scoring as a substitute in a CONCACAF Champions Cup match. He then played a full 90 minutes in Inter Miami’s MLS victory over Atlanta United on Sunday, where he found the net once again. Unfortunately, reports from Argentina suggest that Messi experienced muscle discomfort after that game, leading to his exclusion from the national team squad.

Argentina, the current World Cup champions, are in a good position in the South American qualifiers. They are leading the 10-team group by five points over Uruguay. They will first face Uruguay in Montevideo this Friday and then take on Brazil at home in Buenos Aires on March 25. If they perform well in these matches, they could secure early qualification for next year’s World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

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The top six teams in the group will qualify directly for the tournament, while the seventh-placed team will have to go through a playoff. At the moment, Bolivia holds that seventh spot with 13 points. After 12 matches in the qualifiers, Messi is still the top scorer with six goals.

Argentina will also be missing other key players, including Roma striker Paulo Dybala and River Plate full-back Paulo Montiel, both out due to injuries. Meanwhile, Brazil will be without Neymar, who was expected to return to the squad but has been ruled out after suffering a thigh injury. Brazil is currently in fifth place, seven points behind Argentina.

Here is Argentina’s squad for the qualifiers:

Goalkeepers:
Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa, England)
Geronimo Rulli (Marseille, France)
Walter Benitez (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands)

Defenders:
Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid, Spain)
Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille, France)
Cristian Romero (Tottenham, England)
Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica, Portugal)
Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon, France)
Facundo Medina (Lens, France)
Juan Foyth (Villarreal, Spain)
German Pezzella (River Plate, Argentina)

Midfielders:
Leandro Paredes (Roma, Italy)
Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool, England)
Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid, Spain)
Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)
Maximo Perrone (Como, Italy)
Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea, England)
Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid, Spain)
Benjamin Dominguez (Bologna, Italy)
Thiago Almada (Lyon, France)

Forwards:
Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan, Italy)
Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid, Spain)
Angel Correa (Atletico Madrid, Spain)
Nicolas Paz (Como, Italy)
Santiago Castro (Bologna, Italy)
Nicolas Gonzalez (Juventus, Italy)

With Messi missing, Argentina will have to rely on other star players to keep their strong position in the qualifiers. Fans will be eagerly watching to see how they perform in these crucial matches.

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