Lionel Messi will not play against NYCFC on Saturday with a view to returning for the midweek CONCACAF Champions Cup game against Monterrey, Inter Miami assistant coach Javier Morales has confirmed.
The 36-year-old forward has missed his side’s last two fixtures with a hamstring injury, which also forced him to miss Argentina’s friendlies in the United States during the international break.
“Tomorrow he won’t be available because we are trying to do our best so that he’s available next Wednesday against Monterrey here at home,” Morales said.
Messi has not played since exiting just five minutes into the second half of a 3-1 win over Nashville with a hamstring issue. The injury held him out of Inter Miami’s last two games — a 3-1 win over D.C. United and a 4-0 loss at Red Bull New York — and he also missed Argentina’s friendlies against El Salvador and Costa Rica in the last international window.
Inter Miami is hosting the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal against Liga MX side Monterrey, before the away leg takes place on April 10.
The CONCACAF Champions Cup is a high priority for Inter Miami this season.
The continental competition has traditionally been dominated by the Mexican teams. Just one MLS team, the Seattle Sounders in 2022, has won a CONCACAF crown.
The winner of this year’s competition will earn a spot in the 2025 Club World Cup, which will be hosted in the U.S. and feature European teams including Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Juventus.
“The CONCACAF Champions is a great challenge,” Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said earlier this year. “Because of the prize it has (at stake), it’s the most important tournament we have to compete in.”
(Brennan Asplen/Getty Images)
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