Argentina visit Venezuela for Matchday 9 of the World Cup Qualifiers. La Albiceleste and La Vinotinto will face each other at the Estadio Monumental in Maturin, and one of the biggest attractions will be the return of Lionel Messi to the national team.
After the Argentine captain wasn’t called up in the last international break, as he was still recovering from his ankle injury sustained during the 2024 Copa America final, he is now expected to be in the starting lineup for the match against Venezuela.
“Messi is fine. He played several games for his team in recent weeks, after not being in the last call-up, which was what we had agreed because he needed to recover and get more minutes,” Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni said this week.
“Leo is training with the squad and is ready to be part of the team to play against Venezuela, who will be a great rival,” said the Argentine manager. La Albiceleste arrived in Maturin on Wednesday, after facing travel hurdles after having to stay in Miami due to the political tensions between the two countries.
Lionel Messi is in great form (Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Messi comes to the match in great form, after also playing in almost all five games with Inter Miami. The Argentine captain most recently scored a brace against Columbus to help the team secure their Supporters’ Shield.
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Argentina without Dibu Martinez and Paulo Dybala
However, Lionel Scaloni’s squad are without some of their usual players, including goalkeeper Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martinez, who was suspended for two matches. Other players who will not be playing include Nicolás Gonzalez, Paulo Dybala, and Alejandro Garnacho, all due to injuries.
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La Albiceleste, who are at the top of the standings, are still the clear favorites to take the victory against Fernando Batista’s side. La Vinotinto lost one and tied one of their last two matches, and they are currently at the sixth spot of the standings.
