Lionel Messi will not play in Argentina’s final Copa America group game against Peru due to muscle tightness, team officials said Friday.
Assistant coach Walter Samuel told a news conference that the Inter Miami superstar was “day-by-day” following an injury to his right adductor muscle.
“Leo had a problem in the last game, he won’t be there for this game,” Samuel said.
“We are going to go day-by-day waiting for its evolution.
However, Samuel downplayed the absence of Messi to the rest of the team.
“The team has always proven to be up to the task before when he wasn’t there,” said Samuel to hint that veteran Angel Di Maria may start in place of Messi
Argentina have already booked their place in the quarter-finals after wins against Canada and Chile in their opening two matches.
Saturday’s match will be against Peru at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, where a draw is enough to stop Argentina from finishing second and thus qualify them automatically for the last eights as table leaders.
Argentina will also rest a number of first-team players, but Samuel insisted Friday that it would be business as usual for the world champions.
“Peru has top players, we are taking this game with the utmost seriousness,” said Samuel, who will be in charge on the bench with coach Lionel Scaloni serving a one-game suspension.
Scaloni and Argentina were sanctioned after the team were late to emerge for the second half in their games against Chile and Canada.
He added that Scaloni is a “little bitter” about the suspension.
“We consider ourselves a correct coaching staff and in all these years we’ve never had these kind of sanctions,” Samuel said.