“Relief with Messi recovering for Argentina’s matches.”

Lionel Messi is showing signs of a rapid recovery and could return to play in the upcoming friendlies for Argentina, raising hopes among fans and the coaching staff ahead of the World Cup. Coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed on Friday that the Argentine star is “doing much better” in the recovery process from a calf injury and may even step onto the pitch for a few minutes in the preparation matches.

“Leo is doing well, he has already trained partially with the group, he is not completely separated,” Scaloni stated, leaving open the possibility of Messi playing “a few minutes” in tomorrow’s match against Honduras or in the following game against Iceland. These two friendly matches, scheduled for Saturday in College Station, Texas, and Tuesday in Auburn, Alabama, serve as the final test before the World Cup debut, set for June 16 against Algeria in Kansas City.

The news comes as a relief for Argentina, the reigning world champions, who saw their greatest icon forced to stop after suffering a muscle strain in his last game for Inter Miami. The national medical team has played a crucial role, not only in monitoring Messi but also in managing other significant absences. Starting goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is recovering from a fracture in the ring finger of his right hand, sustained during the warm-up of the Europa League final, prompting Scaloni to confirm that Juan Musso from Atlético Madrid will be the starting goalkeeper against Honduras.

The coach does not overlook the youth in the squad and announced the debut of young goalkeeper Santiago Beltrán, called up for these matches, as well as the inclusion of Agustin Giay and Nicolas Capaldo to replace right-backs Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel, both recovering from muscle injuries. Cristian Romero, the central defender who suffered a knee sprain in April, is already training with the group but is not yet at 100% to compete, and Scaloni is considering whether to give him minutes or wait a few more days.

Another concerning case is that of Nicolas Paz, who was sidelined from the match against Honduras due to a strong impact on his knee, raising doubts about his availability for the start of the World Cup. Leandro Paredes and Julián Álvarez also arrived at the training camp in Kansas with physical issues, but the tendency is that they will not be used in these initial preparation matches to avoid unnecessary risks.

“The situation is improving,” Scaloni assured, “they are fine, but we don’t want to take risks in these games. The idea is that they do not participate in these friendlies, at least in the first one. In the second, there may be some possibility.” The Argentine coach emphasized that the upcoming week will be crucial to assess the final physical condition of the squad and define the strategy for the World Cup.

With the pressure mounting and the clock ticking, Argentina seems to be dispelling some ghosts thanks to the positive progress of Messi and the other players, keeping alive the hope of repeating their World Cup glory. Attention is now turned to the coming days, which will determine whether the team will be at 100% for the major challenge ahead.

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