Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has revealed that the team no longer rely on captain Lionel Messi ahead of Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier against Colombia.
Messi has been a key player for the World Cup champions since making his senior debut in 2005. He has scored 112 goals in 192 appearances for Argentina.
He also led the team to the World Cup in 2022, two Copa América titles, and a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Messi missed Argentina’s 4-1 win over rivals Brazil in March, and the 1-0 win over Uruguay to confirm their place at the 2026 World Cup.
He made a return to the squad with a substitute appearance in Argentina’s 1-0 win over Chile last week.
Scaloni believes the team can now play with or without the 8-time Ballon d’Or winner unlike in the past.
He said: “The team is now in a moment where it can play in the same way with Leo [Messi] or without Leo, which used to be more complex in the past as we had to change some players.
“But now we don’t have this necessity and the team works in the same way, that’s good. Leo will start tomorrow. We hope the fans enjoy watching him and the entire team”.
Argentina will take on Colombia on Wednesday in a FIFA World Cup qualifiers encounter, and Scaloni is expecting a tough match.
He said: “It’s a great team, and with great players, and it has a clear style that can put you in trouble.
“It might seem unusual to say they are going through a tough patch, but Colombia has deserved to win many matches and was just unlucky.
“They have lost games in the last minutes, like against Uruguay. The qualification standings don’t tell the whole story. If they had won, they would be in second place.
“We’ve analysed it, we’ve shown the players their strengths and what we want to take advantage of. It’s going to be a nice game, especially because we play at home, so it’s good for our people to see the players.”
Argentina currently top the South America World Cup qualifiers group with 34 points from 15 matches followed by Ecuador on 24 points while Paraguay are in third with 24 points.
Five-time winners of the competition, Brazil occupy the fourth position with 22 points from 15 matches.
Six South American teams will qualify for the tournament final tournament, and the seventh place team will qualify through the inter-confederation play-off.
