Messi reappears with against Venezuela in a match that will be played in Maturín

Messi reappears with against Venezuela in a match that will be played in Maturín
Messi reappears with Argentina against Venezuela in a match that will be played in Maturín

Boosted by the return of Lionel Messi, faces a threatening Venezuela this Thursday on the ninth day of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 Cup.

Messi will reappear with the world champions at the Monumental Stadium in the Venezuelan city of Maturín, after having missed the Albiceleste’s two previous pre-World Cup matches, a 3-0 victory against Chile and a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Colombia, due to the right ankle injury he suffered during the Copa América final.

Coach Lionel Scaloni, at the same time, is considering alternatives in the face of the losses of goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez and central defender Cristian ‘Cuti’ Romero due to suspension and the absence due to injury of another of his regulars in the eleven: Nico González.

Argentina leads the table with 18 points, followed by Colombia, with 16; Uruguay, with 15; Ecuador, with 11; and Brazil and Venezuela, with 10 each.

La Vinotinto, which recovers Yangel Herrera, a stronghold in its midfield, is looking for a reaction after adding only one point in the previous double date. He needs to keep his immediate pursuers at bay: Paraguay and a reborn Bolivia, who add 9 units apiece.

– “It’s a nice motivation” –

Messi arrives at a good time for this pre-World Cup commitment: he has scored in three of the six games played with Inter Miami after recovering from his injury.

The Argentine star has scored five goals during the period, including a double last Wednesday in a 3-2 victory for Inter away against the Colombus Crew that gave the team coached by Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino the Supporters Shield, a trophy that the MLS awarded to the club with the best record in the regular season.

“For someone who loves football, it’s good that Messi is playing again. We will try to neutralize him,” said Venezuela coach, Argentine Fernando ‘Bocha’ Batista.

But “not only must we neutralize Messi, but also the teammate that he also makes play,” the Vinotinto coach continued in an interview with Radio Rivadavia in Buenos Aires.

“We must play a perfect match (…). For the Venezuelan player it must be a nice motivation to face the world champion team and the best player in the world,” he said.

– Punishment –

‘Dibu’ Martínez will serve the first of two punishment games established by FIFA for “offensive behavior” in Argentina’s previous presentations.

The Aston Villa goalkeeper was sanctioned for an obscene gesture with the Copa América trophy in the presentation of that title before the Argentine public, in the pre-World Cup match won in Buenos Aires against Chile, and an attack on a television cameraman at end of the setback against Colombia in Barranquilla.

Gerónimo Rulli (Olympique de Marseille), Juan Musso (Atlético de Madrid) and Walter Benítez (PSV Eindhoven) are the goalkeepers called up by Scaloni to fill the void.

Romero, for his part, is suspended for yellow cards.

Nico González and Paulo Dybala were excluded from the list due to injury. Alexis Mac Allister is in doubt.

– Key return –

The return of Herrera – recovered from the muscle injury that took him out at the last minute of the previous double day – is one of Batista’s cards to try to resume the path of good results at the start of the World Cup qualifiers and the Copa América.

Venezuela closed the first phase of the continental event with nine points, although it was left out in the quarterfinals.

La Vinotinto has two important losses due to the accumulation of warnings: midfielder Cristian Cásseres Jr and its usual starting left back, Miguel Navarro.

– Probable lineups

Venezuela: Rafael Romo – Jon Aramburu, Yordan Osorio, Nahuel Ferraresi, Christian Makoun – Yangel Herrera, José Martínez, Dani Pereira – Jefferson Savarino, Salomón Rondón, Darwin Machís. DT: Fernando Batista.

Argentina: Gerónimo Rulli – Gonzalo Montiel, Nicolás Otamendi, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Tagliafico – Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández – Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez, Julián Álvarez. DT: Lionel Scaloni.

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