Martino expressed confidence that Messi will continue to feature in the starting lineup despite the imminent summer tournament. He attributed this expectation to Miami’s recent elimination from the CONCACAF Champions Cup, suggesting that with a lighter schedule, there will be less need for rotation. However, Martino did mention that Jordi Alba will be absent from Miami’s upcoming match against Nashville SC due to a muscle injury.
Despite Messi’s absence in four of Miami’s first nine games, the team currently leads the MLS Eastern Conference with 15 points. Martino anticipates having a complete squad, except for Alba and Federico Redondo, leading up to both the Copa America and Olympics, with the Copa commencing on June 20 in the USA.
Martino commented on Messi, stating, “There’s nothing special right now with Messi. We will be playing games on the weekends for the next few weeks, we just have one midweek game against Orlando City.”
“We will evaluate those moments once the schedule begins to compress, but I don’t think we need to analyze a special plan [for Messi] because he feels good. He’s working well on a day-to-day basis, and at the pace we are going we will remain in the same way.”
Regarding Alba, Martino mentioned, “Jordi suffered a muscle injury, he will miss this upcoming match and the next one. After that, we will begin evaluating on a game-by-game basis.”
Miami aims to maintain their top position in the table with a victory over Nashville on Saturday, followed by a crucial clash against second-placed New York Red Bulls next week. Meanwhile, Messi focuses on regaining his peak form ahead of the Copa America, where Argentina aims to secure their third consecutive major honor after their recent World Cup victory.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini
This season he played in total 5 times for 404 minutes for Major League Soccer.
Lionel Messi scored 5 goals for Inter Miami. He procured two assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 1st in Major League Soccer. In the last match Inter Miami won 3-2 against Sporting KC.
Inter Miami performance and stats
Inter Miami is currently 1st in the Major League Soccer with 15 points.
In the last 9 games, it has won 4 times, drawn 3 times, and lost twice. In its last match, Inter Miami won 2-3 against Sporting KC.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 19 goals and conceding 14.
Inter Miami will play the next match in Major League Soccer against Nashville SC on Saturday 20th of April in Fort Lauderdale. The prediction is Inter Miami winning the match.