Argentina boss provides update on Messi ahead of World Cup start | OneFootball

Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni expects Lionel Messi to play a part in their pre-World Cup friendly against Iceland.

Messi has been nursing a muscle issue and did not feature in their friendly victory against Honduras on 6 June.

But Scaloni says the Argentinian legend is in line to return ahead of the start of the tournament when they face Iceland.

“He is going to play against Iceland,” Scaloni said. “What I do not know is how many minutes.

“I still have to talk to him during training and see how many minutes he plays to avoid any kind of risk, but in principle, yes, he will get minutes.”

Asked about his importance to this team, Scaloni replied: “Hugely important, as always. Not just in the dressing room, when he’s on the pitch, everything he translates to his team-mates, the atmosphere he creates around him, is something incredible.”

Argentina kick off their World Cup campaign on 17 June when they face Algeria.