MLS
Lionel Messi to miss NYCFC game: looking to be back against Monterrey
The Argentine is set to miss out on Inter Miami’s game against NYCFC, but his return date is already pencilled in.
Lionel Messi’s recovery with Inter Miami may be on the right track, but the captain of the Herons is not yet available to return to the field. The news regarding the fitness of the forward was confirmed on Friday at a press conference held by Tata Martino’s technical assistant, Javier Morales.
Speaking to the media present at Inter Miami’s last training session of the week, Javi Morales admitted that while Messi’s return against NYCFC (Saturday 30 March 2024. KO 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT.) is not an option, it is expected that he will be OK to feature in the midweek match against Monterrey in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. This is the date put in the calendar by the club, the doctors, and the player himself.
“Leo is working with the physios. He is ruled out for tomorrow”, said Morales, “he will not be available but we will try to do our best to have him here at home next Wednesday against Monterrey. We are all working on it with the medical staff. That is why he is ruled out for tomorrow and we will try to have him available for the next match against Monterrey”, added Morales.
Inter Miami going full strength against NYRB
After last week’s painful loss in MLS against the NY Red Bulls and a long week of work, Inter Miami are planning for the least amount of rotations available in the team. Even though they have the game against Monterrey on the horizon, The Herons plan to go into the match against NYCFC with their best starting XI.
“We don’t expect many rotations, it was different the other time because we had been playing regularly during the week. This time we have had a week to train and recover players,” added Javier Morales.
Likewise, Tata’s assistant knows that the team must perform well in front of the fans after the painful defeat against the Red Bulls; in a key week they will seek to regain confidence on the field and bring smiles to those who were hurt after the 4-0 drubbing at the Red Bull Arena.
“We know that we are not happy with what happened against Red Bulls, we know that important matches are coming and especially tomorrow. We will be able to turn the page and give another version of ourselves to our fans. This is a group that has experience and knows how to play, I don’t think they are in a bad state of mind, but in terms of our play we have to improve because there are important games coming up and we have to get there in the best way possible,” said the Inter Miami assistant coach.
Finally, Morales acknowledged that although they are aware that the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarter-finals against Monterrey is a already crucial fixture in the season, the side are not thinking about that game right now and are totally focused on getting three points against NYCFC.
“The most important thing for us is the next game, that next game is tomorrow and for now it is the most important thing. After tomorrow’s game we will start thinking about the tie against Monterrey, we know it is an important game, but we can’t start thinking about it yet,” Morales concluded.