Lionel Messi, who has sat out Inter Miami’s final three video games, will journey to Jamaica for Thursday’s CONCACAF Champions Cup match with Kingston aspect Cavalier, coach Javier Mascherano stated on Wednesday.
Messi missed Inter’s 4-1 win on the Houston Dynamo in Main League Soccer on March 2 after which the 2-0 midweek residence win over Cavalier within the first leg of the last-16 tie towards the Jamaicans.
The Argentine then sat unused on the bench for Sunday’s 1-0 win over Charlotte in MLS, with Mascherano saying the warning over utilizing the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was primarily based on managing his workload and never an damage.
Talking to the media earlier than the staff flew out to the Caribbean island nation, Mascherano, a former team-mate of Messi’s at Barcelona, stated the ahead could be making the journey.
“Leo Messi is on the roster and can journey with the staff to Jamaica. Tomorrow (Thursday) we are going to resolve for the sport what’s finest, if he begins or waits on the bench and is available in later,” he stated.
“Right this moment he educated with the staff, and the sensations have been good. We’re completely happy he’ll journey with us to Jamaica,” he added.
The sport is predicted to draw a sell-out crowd to the 35,000 capability Nationwide Stadium in Kingston.
Whereas Messi has confronted Jamaica’s nationwide staff for Argentina, he has by no means performed within the nation earlier than.
Cavalier head coach and sporting director Rudolph Speid believes his staff are able to turning across the tie towards a staff that can embody former Barca gamers Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez.
“It’s about normalising the Inter Miami staff in order that our gamers are snug enjoying towards gamers with such excessive esteem,” Speid defined.
“Jordi Alba is 35 years outdated however he runs up and down like he thinks he’s 25. Sergio Busquets is an excellent participant — it is extremely tough to take the ball off him when he has it beneath management. And Lionel Messi, I do not even need to say something,” he informed the Jamaican Gleaner.
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