Despite injury concerns, Lionel Scaloni is adamant that Lionel Messi is fit to play in their Copa America semi-final against Canada. (More Football News)
The Argentina captain sustained a hamstring injury in their second group game against Chile♍, for🐻cing him out of the following match against Peru
Despite injury concerns, Lionel Scaloni is adamant that Lionel Messi is fit to play in their Copa America semi-final against Canada. (More Football News)
The Argentin🅘a captain sustained a hamstring injury in their second group game against Chile, forcing him out of the following match against Peru.
However, Messi returne🤪d for their quarter-final meeting with Ecuador, notably missing the first spot-kick iꦓn the penalty shootout, which they won thanks to two Emiliano Martinez saves.
After Messi admi🦩tted he "trained with fear" ahead of his return from injury against La Tricolor, Scaloni has brushed off any wor🐬ries about his star man's fitness.
"99% of the t⭕ime, [Messi] is fit to play," Scaloni said. "It's never happenedဣ to me that he's not fit to play.
"Eve𓂃ry time he's come out 🔜on the pitch, he's fit to play. For [Canada], he's fit to play, without a doubt.
"It's a very easy decision for me, because it's a very frank decision, that if ꧙he's fine, he plays; an🏅d if he's not fine, he plays the last 30 minutes. It's that easy.
"It's true that that won't ever weigh on me. I know what he can give us even if he's not in optimal condition. I wouldn't make the grave mistake of not putting him on the pitch knowingꦍ that he gives us a lot, so that's indisputablꦿe."
Argentina opened their Copa America title defence wi♏th a 2-0 victory over Canada on Jun🅰e 20.
Scaloni acknow🅘ledged the benefit of that first meဣeting, though conceded Jesse Marsch was unlikely to take the same approach in a bid to reach the final.
"Canada has players who are physically strong and also technically good, with a coach who has conveyed an aౠggressive way of playing," he added.
"They have made things difficult for all teams. Physically, it's difficult to match them, but with our ass🌞ets, we hope to play the game o🍒n our side.
&qu🉐ot;All coaches take notes to correct mistakes and h🦋urt our opponents. Each coach will have to do something different. We will try to have the ball and stop them from playing their game."