All eyes are on Lionel Messi in the opening days of Argentina’s preparations in QatarThe Paris Saint-Germain forward arrives at the World Cup with a nickle in his Achilles tendon.
He missed out on club game time before moving to the Middle East and the 35-year-old is struggling to train alongside his team-mates.
Messi trained alone for the second day in a row
In Argentina’s latest session at Qatar University on Saturday, Messi could not join the team and could only manage individual work. The former Barcelona star also did not take part in training on Friday.
According to the Argentina Football Federation, Messi’s Achilles tendon problem Can’t stop the Albiceleste from playing in their World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. In fact, the federation says his absence from training is mainly a case of load management.
However, any form of fitness concern over Messi is significant. He couldn’t play for PSG against Lorient on November 6 and no one wants him to struggle with fitness issues in a tournament as important as the World Cup.
Messi, who was always accompanied by Argentine doctors, did not appear to be in pain. The expressions on the faces of the medical staff did not show that they were much worried. The aim is for the national captain to feel as comfortable as possible during his fifth World Cup.
He goes into the tournament in top form. He has scored 10 goals in his last four games for Argentina and is reminiscent of the player he was at Barca in his early season for PSG.
Martinez and Palacios also train separately
In addition to Messi, Lisandro Martinez and Exequiel Palacios have also trained away from the squad. The couple is not thought to carry serious complications.
Angel Correa and Thiago Almada completed their first World Cup training sessions, replacing the injured Joaquin Correa and Nico Gonzalez in the Argentina squad.
Argentina will also face Mexico and Poland in the group stage
Argentina is in Group C along with Mexico, Poland and Saudi Arabia. After facing Saudi, Lionel Scaloni’s men face the Mexicans on November 26 and Poland on November 30.
