Lionel Messi is today the main doubt for the visit of the Argentina National Team in view of Perunext Tuesday in Lima, for the fourth date of the South American Qualifiers heading to World Cup 2026 from the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The captain and top figure of the world champion team spent around 40 minutes in last night’s victory over Paraguay (1-0) and was noted to be lacking in explosion, something normal at his 36 years of age and recent inactivity since the muscle injury that suffered against Ecuador on the first date of the Qualifiers on September 7.
The thing is that Messi barely came into the game with a handful of minutes at Inter Miami and logically Lionel Scaloni He took care of him against Paraguay, since he sent him to the field seven minutes into the second half for Julián Álvarez, breaking the double nine with Lautaro Martínez to “take care of the team’s balance.”
Messi’s entry occurred in a context where Nicolás González, playing on the left wing, showed signs of exhaustion, despite being one of the best in the victory, and it cost him the connection with Lautaro Martínez, who is clearly fighting for the goal. in the Selection between bad decisions and lack of luck when he executes his situations in an enormous way.
Scaloni will evaluate the potential change of scheme If Messi, who was seen to be comfortable in the discharges and definitions of stopped balls rather than in movement, starts in Lima or would he maintain the same names and tactical disposition if the Rosario starts again from the substitute bench.
The thing is that although the 4-3-3 is the coach’s favorite system, it is not the same if the participants who name it are Messi along with Julián Álvarez and Ángel Di María as with Ecuador or Lautaro Martínez appears with Álvarez and Nicolás González -in this case he is a footballer with the same characteristics as Di María-.
In fact, in the first half Julián Álvarez’s movements on the outside were noticeable, with constant diagonals and unbearable circulation for the rival defense along the entire attacking front. The Manchester City attacker, as Josep Guardiola said days ago, shows constant evolution and that allowed him to adapt to being a second striker as he does with Erling Haaland in England.
So, the unknown, as happened in the days before the first match of the double date of the Qualifiers, will be to determine if Messi is in a position to start although everything indicates that it would be from the bench again.
This will be revealed as training progresses, because this Friday all those who were active in the categorical victory over Paraguay trained regeneratively, despite the short result (1-0).
The rest, except for any injury or overload at the end of the preparation, Scaloni will repeat the same names on each line of the field because the performance of the midfield bordered on perfection with suffocating pressure on ball losses and high-level treatment on the feet of Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister.
The possible equipment is Emiliano Martínez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi and Nicolás Tagliafico; Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister; Nicolás González, Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez or Lionel Messi.
On the opposite side will arrive a downcast Peru, far from the honeys of the cycle given in the last two Qualifiers with Ricardo Gareca, with just one point and no goals in favor on the way to a World Cup where six teams will qualify and a seventh will go to a playoff.
The anger of the Peruvian media and local fans lies there, seeing Peru out of those positions along with Bolivia and Paraguay at the dawn of the competition.
Those led now by Juan Reynoso will evaluate whether Carlos Zambrano will arrive, who came out with a small injury and was replaced by Ánderson Santamaría 22 minutes into the second half.
In the first three games, Peru was characterized by little possession and attempts to locate the legendary Paolo Guerrero, who had an unproductive time at Racing in recent months, but was renewed and had a good presence in the Quito League, being a key piece in the formation that installed in the final of the Copa Sudamericana.
The experienced attacker, 39 years old, is often too isolated and will surely need a better collective version to fuel him in the finishing zone, where he is lethal. He will have a tough job against Cristian Romero and Nicolás Otamendi, a duo that shone in the World Cup and is one of the strong points of the “Scaloneta”.
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
