Lionel Messi has been left out of Argentina’s squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil. Inter Miami confirmed that a scan revealed Messi suffered a “low-grade injury in the adductor muscle” during the 2-1 win on Sunday. The club did not provide a timeline for his return. “His clinical progress and response to treatment will determine his availability for competition,” Inter Miami said.
Messi recently missed three games for Inter Miami but returned with a goal in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Argentina, the defending World Cup champions, can secure qualification for next year’s tournament in the next two games. They lead the 10-team South American qualifying group by five points before facing Uruguay in Montevideo. The top six teams qualify directly for the World Cup, while the seventh-placed team, Bolivia, has 13 points.
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Messi is the top scorer in the qualifiers with six goals. Argentina will also be without injured Roma striker Paulo Dybala and River Plate full-back Paulo Montiel. Meanwhile, Brazil will be missing 33-year-old Neymar, who suffered a thigh injury and had to postpone his national team return. Brazil is currently fifth in the standings, seven points behind Argentina.
Argentina’s squad includes goalkeepers Emiliano Martinez, Geronimo Rulli, and Walter Benitez. The defence features Nahuel Molina, Leonardo Balerdi, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Nicolas Tagliafico, Facundo Medina, Juan Foyth, and German Pezzella. Midfielders include Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul, Exequiel Palacios, Maximo Perrone, Enzo Fernandez, Giuliano Simeone, Benjamin Dominguez, and Thiago Almada. Forwards are Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez, Angel Correa, Nicolas Paz, Santiago Castro and Nicolas Gonzalez.
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