Messi will be on the field, I just don't know how many minutes he will play. I still need to talk to him in today's training session and we will see how many minutes he will play to avoid any risks. We will decide, but in principle, he will be on the field," Lionel Scaloni said before the Argentina vs Iceland match.
Messi sat on the bench but did not play in Argentina's friendly match against Honduras recently. The star currently playing for Inter Miami was present at Argentina's training camp after having a problem with his left hamstring.
He left the field in the 73rd minute of Inter Miami's last match against Philadelphia Union in the MLS due to feeling uncomfortable, before the team confirmed muscle fatigue.
Initial diagnoses show that this superstar's recovery progress will be monitored daily. Initially, Messi focused on recovering alone when the whole team just arrived in the US, but on June 5, he participated in training with his teammates.
According to coach Scaloni, he will allocate reasonable playing time for Messi and his teammates. He said: "We will allocate playing time for the players who will play against Iceland to try to avoid any problems. This is an important match, we have to play. Looking at everything that is happening, I am worried because I want all the players to finish the season healthy.
Scaloni confirmed that Nico Paz, Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel are also eligible to play for the national team in the match against Iceland. The three players had previously trained separately due to various injuries.
Coach Albiceleste (the nickname of the Argentina team) also provided updates on the injuries of Julian Alvarez and Leandro Paredes.
He said: "Today I can confirm that the players are recovering well; most have been allowed to play. Montiel, Molina and Nico Paz are all ready to play. Alvarez is also fine, he only suffered a minor ankle injury and is gradually recovering. Paredes is also recovering well and will be able to return to training with the team in the coming days.
The match between Argentina and Iceland takes place at 8:00 a.m. on June 10 (Vietnam time).
Coach Scaloni has not yet announced the replacement for Leonardo Balerdi in the 26-man squad. The Marseille club defender has left the team's training camp due to a calf injury and will not participate in the 2026 World Cup.
After the match with Iceland, we will have a clearer view of who will replace him. We can find a replacement for Balerdi's position, but the whole team is also considering other options depending on the recovery status of the remaining injured players," Scaloni emphasized.
Argentina will begin their title defense campaign at the 2026 World Cup with a match against Algeria on June 16, before continuing to play against Austria and Jordan in Group J.
