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Argentina continue their FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification against Peru on Tuesday and will be looking to extend their perfect start in Lima after winning their first three fixtures so far. As was the case before Thursday’s victory over Paraguay, the whole world is wondering whether Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi will be fit to start after his recent injury issues. Unsurprisingly, it was the first question put to Albiceleste head coach Lionel Scaloni in his pre-match press conference on Monday.
Messi “will start if he’s OK”
“He’s fine, he’s been training. We’ll make the decision tomorrow. If he’s OK, he’ll play, which is what we all want. We’ll talk to him and ask him how he is. It’s a matter of time, of how much he can play. If he’s okay, you already know what I think. If he’s fine, he plays. There’s nothing more to say.”
Álvarez, Lautaro and Messi?
If Messi does play from the off, could he line up alongside both Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez, who started together in attack against Paraguay? “It depends on the match. Right now, we’re doing well as we are, and maybe disrupting the balance wouldn’t be necessary. But we’re open to anything depending on the type of game. The idea is to always have two forwards playing; their characteristics may vary.”
What does the future hold for Argentina without Messi?
Scaloni was also asked about whether he had given much thought to what the future holds for Argentina without the 36-year-old, which he wasn’t especially impressed by. “Let’s stick with the fact that he’s still here. What a way to think about ‘when he’s not here.’ The truth is, he’s still very much present, let’s leave it at that. Hopefully he plays until I don’t know when because if not, we’ll make him retire by constantly asking. Are we all crazy or what? Let’s just leave it.”
Inter Miami’s tour of China
Inter Miami have revealed they will play two friendly matches in China in early November, which will see Messi rack up a serious amount of air miles just before Argentina’s next qualifying double header. Scaloni, however, can only see positives. “It’s not a problem. By playing earlier (compared to other teams), he’ll arrive here sooner. It won’t be a problem. On the contrary, he will play two matches and be sharp when he gets here.”
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