Lionel Messi injury update: will he play against Peru?

Lionel Messi’s physical test results have returned: and it’s good news for Argentina. The forward has suffered an adductor issue, which is not serious, and there is no tear.

According to TyC, the Inter Miami forward can breathe a sigh of relief after it was confirmed by team doctors that Messi has not suffered a tournament-ending physical issue, something that was feared after it was revealed he suffered an injury against Chile in Group A.

Will Lionel Messi be back for the quarter-finals?

Why the player’s participation in the Copa América quarter-finals is not guaranteed, there is an infinitely higher possibility that he is available now that the results are entirely negative.

However, having said that, it does not change the fact that Argentina will want to keep Messi in cryogenic cotton wool until his match fitness levels are back up and firing. Risking Messi by bringing him back too early or playing him for too long would be running the gauntlet on a potential tournament-winning asset. But of course, Argentina’s medical and technical staff know that: they will just be glad that he’s not on a plane back to his Miami mansion.

Why is Lionel Scaloni not on the bench against Peru?

While the Messi question is up in the air with the coin flipping, the absence of Lionel Scaloni from the Argentina bench is indeed confirmed. The coach will not be on the touchline for the game against Peru, as he has been handed a one-game ban for spending too long in the dressing room at half-time in the game against Canada.

After the event, Canada manager Jesse Marsch complained that Scaloni had spent too long talking to his players, asking “was it 20 minutes? 30 minutes?” before saying that he should be punished and that it was unfair. Alas, Scaloni has indeed been punished and handed a €14,000 fine, but he’ll always have those extra 5 minutes.

Who only knows what magic Marsch could have imparted unto his players had he been allowed an extra 300 seconds inside the dressing room? That’s a lot of Gandhi quotes.

The 2024 Copa América Group A game between Argentina and Peru will be played on Saturday, 29 June 2024, at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT.