Inter Miami confirm if Lionel Messi will play against Hong Kong

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami have started their preseason and are currently in the middle of a very complicated world tour. The scale in Saudi Arabia was disastrous after a 6-0 loss against Al Nassr which played without their star, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Last season, Messi’s debut was spectacular winning the 2023 Leagues Cup alongside Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets. Now, thanks to the arrival of Luis Suarez, there are no more excuses to at least reach the playoffs in the MLS.

The next challenge in the preseason is Hong Kong, which recently got eliminated early in the Asian Cup following three consecutive losses against the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Palestine. Inter Miami’s coach, Gerardo Martino, spoke about them.

“Undoubtedly, in today’s times, it is very challenging not to have a thorough knowledge of each of the teams we have to face. Hong Kong have recently competed in the Asian Cup. It is a team that we have well-scouted. Clearly, we will prepare ourselves in the right way to face that match.”

Lionel Messi’s status has been confirmed for the International Friendly against Hong Kong (Getty Images)

Will Lionel Messi play against Hong Kong?

During a long awaited press conference, Gerardo Martino confirmed that Lionel Messi is expected to play against Hong Kong. However, Inter Miami’s coach didn’t guarantee if the Argentine legend will start the game.

“You know that we come from two very intense matches. Two more that we have played in El Salvador and in Dallas. We have to observe the physical condition of each of our players, but we have the expectations that Leo plays as much time as possible”.

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In the midst of the excitement in Hong Kong to see one of the greatest players in history, another reporter asked Martino for the second time if he could confirm to thousands of fans that their idol would be on the field.

“As I mentioned before, we will evaluate each of the players because we have played many preseason matches. The aspiration is that Leo plays the most amount of minutes possible. Therefore, we will determine how much time he can play based on what happens in the final training, but he will surely be on the field.”