Why isn’t Lionel Messi playing for Argentina against Peru in Copa América?

Argentina go into their final game of the group stages with their Copa América progression already confirmed. The world champions beat Canada and Chile without conceding a single goal to book their place in the quarter-finals.

They remain the favourites to win this tournament and pick up their second straight Copa América title, a historic third consecutive international competition. But all is not well ahead of their final group stage game against Peru on Saturday.

Lionel Messi will not feature for Argentina, owing to a muscular injury sustained during the victory over Chile. The reigning Ballon d’Or winner complained of pain in his right hamstring after the game and underwent medical tests and rounds of kinesiology treatment in the following days.

“Leo had a problem in the last game and he won’t be in this game. We are going to see how it is day by day to await his evolution,” Argentina assistant coach Walter Samuel told reporters on Friday.

Lionel Messi explained: “I felt some discomfort in my right hamstring at the beginning of the game. It was tight. It wasn’t as loose as it should’ve been. But I was able to finish the game... In the first play, my adductor got hard. I didn’t feel a puncture or a tear, but I did find it difficult to move freely.”

Why is Lionel Scaloni suspended for Argentina?

It’s fair to say that Lionel Scaloni’s first senior coaching role has expected all expectations. Initially given the job on an interim basis after a disappointing team performance at the 2018 World Cup, Scaloni was dismissed as “unqualified” by Argentinian soccer legend Diego Maradona in his first months in charge.

But in 2021 he led the team to a Copa América triumph and, most incredibly, the World Cup the following year. Scaloni is targeting another title this summer but he will have to watch on from the stands on Saturday.

The Argentina head coach is serving a one-game suspension because, in the win over Peru, his team failed to return to the field in a timely manner after the halftime break. Scaloni fell foul of articles 104 and 145 and was hit with a one-game ban and a $15,000 fine for the Argentinian soccer federation.

“[Lionel Scaloni] is a little bitter about the situation because we consider ourselves a correct coaching staff. In these six years, we have almost never had this type of sanctions. But it is normal for him to be bitter, he wanted to be with the team tomorrow,” his assistant, Walter Samuel, explained.