Lionel Messi is fit and will be in sturdy form for Argentina ahead of their second World Cup match against Mexico later today, November 26.
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni revealed that the PSG star forward Lionel Messi is fine and fit to confront Mexico in their crucial World Cup 2022 Group C clash today.
Lionel Messi was on the scoresheet as Argentina suffered a shocking 2-1 defeat against Saudi Arabia in their opener on Tuesday, November 22, ending their 36-game unbeaten record across all competitions.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has been dealing with a reported ankle injury but the PSG star will be fit enough to help his side remain in the tournament in their next match against Mexico.
In contrast to recent reports in Argentina by Buenos Aires Times, that claim the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is carrying a knock and has emerged as a doubt for their next meeting with Mexico, coach Scaloni has spoken otherwise.
Argentina coach, Scaloni has confirmed that the 35-year-old former Barcelona legend is well both “physically and morally.”
However, La Albiceleste’s head coach Scaloni revealed that there could be changes to other areas of his starting lineup, perhaps Messi will be used as a substitute player.
In a pre-match interview on Friday, November 25, Scaloni said: “When you are knocked out you have to get up, and my players are more than capable of doing so.
“We will not change the way we play because of the loss to Saudi Arabia.
“I can make a change or two in the selection but not in our system, that is not in question.”
Despite being among the favorites to win the Qatar World Cup, the South American side lost control of their opener game and now faces a high-stakes match against Mexico.
Coach Scaloni is keen to see his players bounce back quickly from their disappointing defeat against Saudi Arabia as another beating would likely spell the end of Argentina’s aim of winning the World Cup.
He added: “This team will leave everything they’ve got on the pitch to recover from that heavy blow.”
Argentina will have to defeat Mexico and get their first victory in Group C if they want to remain in the World Cup tournament.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi’s side has an impressive winning record over Mexico as the La Albiceleste are unbeaten in their last 10 meetings against Mexico in all competitions since losing 1-0 at the 2004 Copa America.
Hopefully, Scaloni and his Argentine team’s pursuit to win the 2022 World Cup will still be viable if they defeat Mexico in their second game tonight.
Argentina will face Mexico in a crucial World Cup match today, Saturday, November 26. The match will take place at Lusail Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 20:00 BST
