Lionel Scaloni has yet to decide if Lionel Messi will start in Argentina’s World Cup qualifier with Chile, with the reigning world champions already sure of their place in next year’s finals.
Argentina lead CONMEBOL’s qualifying group with 31 points from their 14 games and clinched their spot at the 2026 tournament with an emphatic 4-1 win over Brazil in March.
La Albiceleste visit Chile, who are bottom of the qualifying group, on Thursday and, with nothing to play for, are likely to name a much-changed side from their strongest XI.
But it is not clear if that team will include Messi, with the Argentina captain facing a busy schedule with the Club World Cup on the horizon with Inter Miami.
“We’ve been in contact [with Messi] recently. We haven’t decided yet whether he’ll play from the start or not. It would be good to know how he’s feeling physically,” Scaloni said.
“In principle, he’s available to play, and we’ll decide later.”
Four uncapped players are in the squad for Argentina’s qualifiers with Chile and Colombia, including Enzo Barrenechea of Valencia and River Plate’s teenage midfielder Franco Mastantuono, who has been heavily linked with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
Atletico Madrid forward Giuliano Simeone, who has just three caps to his name, could get an opportunity to impress;.
“We’re going to have a lot of players out. If some of the guys we call up are fit and ready to play, they’ll get their chance,” Scaloni added.
“I don’t have the starting XI confirmed yet, but we will give some playing time to players who haven’t played much and who we believe are ready to play.
“Although the result is always important, we don’t think it’s crucial. We’ll probably try to help these players settle in and give them the chance to get some playing time with the team.”
