Inter Miami head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino confirmed Lionel Messi’s position stays undefined forward of the primary leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal conflict towards Liga MX‘s CF Monterrey Wednesday at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
“We’ll outline [his role] tomorrow. At present I do not know, however he educated. We’re nonetheless defining it, we nonetheless have 24 hours,” Martino mentioned at a media availability Tuesday.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, NWSL extra (U.S.)
“Leo has an harm, and we have now to handle his minutes. We’ve an necessary sport tomorrow however we have now to assume that we’re simply beginning April.
“For us, that is all simply beginning and we can not put the circumstances of our gamers in danger. We are going to decide essentially what’s the finest for Leo and each different participant, after which we’ll make the proper choices,” he added.
Messi may return to the pitch for the primary time since March 13, when he was compelled off after 50 minutes of the 3-1 Champions Cup win towards Nashville SC. Following the match, the 36-year-old withdrew from Argentina‘s squad attributable to a proper hamstring harm and watched from afar as Miami confronted D.C. United, the New York Crimson Bulls and New York Metropolis FC.
He lastly educated with the remainder of the squad on Tuesday morning, arriving minutes behind his teammates earlier than becoming a member of the continuing scrimmage.
However the crew continues to be plagued with accidents. Defender Nicolás Freire additionally educated forward of the Monterrey match, however his availability can even be “outlined tomorrow.”
Defender Serhiy Kryvtsov continues to be recovering from the hamstring subject that stored him out of Sunday’s MLS match, whereas Federico Redondo, Facundo Farías, Ian Fray and Robbie Robinson stay sidelined with long-term accidents.
“We’ve to face tomorrow’s match with no excuses,” Martino mentioned. “The truth is we’re presently underneath the circumstances of getting difficulties with accidents that have an effect on us from competing.
“The sensation contained in the locker room is we’re at all times one week away from a full squad, then one thing occurs per week later. We’ve been coping with conditions the previous couple weeks, however we have now the expectations of competing properly with the absences that we have now. However certainly when we have now everybody we’ll be stronger.
Luis Suárez has been the point of interest of Miami’s assault in Messi’s absence and says the squad has the standard to manage with out the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“[Messi is] a participant that makes a distinction, we all know it,” he mentioned. “We’ll wait till tomorrow to see if he is there but when he isn’t we’ll do it like we did the opposite day and win the video games with out him. If he is there, we’ll get pleasure from it extra.
“We all know it is a lengthy season, we have now quite a lot of accidents however we have now a giant crew and we have now quite a lot of actually good gamers that may change the others. Play continues, if the crew stays collectively and retains going ahead that is the main target.”
Miami bypassed the preliminary spherical of the Champions Cup by profitable the inaugural version of Leagues Cup in 2023.
The crew then triumphed over Nashville, holding the MLS crew to a 2-2 draw within the first leg of the spherical of 16 conflict earlier than triumphing 3-1 at Chase Stadium the second time round.