Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has confirmed Lionel Messi will play against Brazil for the World Cup qualifications on Tuesday.
When Scaloni called up the Albiceleste captain, who missed two Paris Saint-Germain games, amid knee injury issues, that raised questions.
After all, Messi not even starting and playing just 15 minutes, as Argentina won 1-0, makes for concerning football news.
Coach Scaloni, moreover, just previously deemed Messi fit enough to come off the bench in Argentina’s previous clash with Uruguay.
But first, coach Mauricio Pochettino originally had to replace the PSG star at half time in October’s match against Lille.
Messi then underwent treatment on his knee in Madrid, with team-mate Leandro Paredes joining him in the Spanish capital.
Lionel Scaloni Has Confirmed Lionel Messi Will Play against Brazil
And now, speaking at his press conference on Monday, Lionel Scaloni has confirmed Lionel Messi will play Argentina’s next match.
The manager has thus put speculations, that he might have suffered any issues in his comeback from injury, to bed.
Leandro Paredes also appears to be recovering well from his injury, with Scaloni adding: “Leandro trained normally. We have to evaluate whether we will include him in the final call.
“He arrived after many days off, but the important thing is that he is coming along well.”
Argentina sit second behind Brazil in the World Cup qualifying table. So, a win over the Selecao would close the gap between the two South American powerhouses to just three points.
Brazil have already qualified for Qatar 2022 following their 1-0 win over Colombia. The national team head coach is thus wise to use Messi for Argentina’s next.
