Lionel Scaloni confirms when Lionel Messi will link up for Argentina farewell vs Benin | OneFootball

Lionel Scaloni has outlined when Lionel Messi will join Argentina for his farewell against Benin on 6 October at River Plate's Monumental. As reported by SuperDepor.com, it will be the third and final friendly of this window.

Speaking before the friendly with Bolivia on Wednesday 30 at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium, the Argentina coach set out the likely schedule. He said the plan, in principle, is for Messi to arrive at the weekend after the match against Burkina Faso.

He added, jokingly, that if Messi wanted to come earlier to feature in the second friendly on the third, he could. Scaloni nevertheless repeated that, in principle, Sunday remains the likeliest arrival day.

There could be scope for one more appearance, as his last Inter Miami game was on 27 September and the next, against D.C. United, is not until 10 October. That schedule means he could join up earlier if he chose.

Scaloni underlined Messi's importance, calling him indispensable, yet noted the team have coped in his absence and that their possession-based identity will not change. He said leadership can be shared across a positive group and that together they will try to make up for what Messi brings.

Source: SuperDepor.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”