06/28/2024
The captain of Argentina, Lionel Messi will not play against Peru in the last match of Group Aconfirmed this Friday at a press conference Walter Samuel, assistant to coach Lionel Scaloni, who will not referee the match due to a sanction from Conmebol.
“Leo had a problem in the last game and he won’t be ready for Saturday,” Samuel said after the match. Messi will complain about his right adductor on Tuesday against Chile. “We will take it day by day, waiting for its evolution.”
The absence of the Argentine star adds to the probable rest of other starters after the current champion has secured its classification against Chilewith their second win in two games.
But, despite this, Samuel insisted on the importance of the duel against the ‘Bicolor’given that Argentina The first place in the group is not guaranteed. “Peru has players of hierarchy (…) We are going to take the match with the utmost seriousness. Whoever enters the competition will be in the same line as in the last matches,” said the coach.
Samuel also addressed the fact that Scaloni will not be on the bench against Peru, after the sanction received after Argentina will return to the field late after the break, in the match against Chile.
Scaloni “He is a little bitter about the situation because we consider ourselves a good technical team”, that in these years we have almost never had these types of sanctions. I wanted to be with the team tomorrow,” he explained.
Samuel was confident that his players would play well without Messi. “The team has always shown that it is up to par when he has not been there,” he said, before hinting that Angel Di Maria could be his substitute on Saturday.
The history between these two teams in the Copa América, is in favor of the ‘albiceleste’ with 12 victories, 2 draws, and 3 Inca wins.
