The last time Lionel Messi played a full half was in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match in September. Between international breaks, the Argentine superstar only played two matches for Inter Miami, with a total playing time of approximately 60 minutes.
Messi has recovered from his injury in time to return to the Argentina national team. However, the superstar's fitness level remains a big question mark. Messi only played about 30 minutes in Inter Miami's most recent match, so he may not yet be in peak condition for the game.
Messi has just recovered after playing only two games for Inter Miami between international breaks.
The Argentina national team once played without Messi in the lineup. They beat Bolivia away from home 3-0 thanks to goals from Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Tagliafico, and Nicolas Gonzalez, but that was a match where the reigning world champions played with a man advantage for half the game.
Argentina is currently second in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the South American region after two matches. Only Lionel Scaloni's team and their rivals Brazil have secured all six points with two wins each. Qualifying should not be a difficult challenge for Messi and his teammates, as South America has six spots (out of ten qualifying teams) that automatically qualify for the World Cup finals.
Argentina are playing at home and Paraguay are not a strong opponent. The team has only won two matches (both friendlies) in the past year against the UAE and Nicaragua, with one draw and four defeats. Coach Guillermo Schelotto was sacked in September.
Schelotto's replacement was an Argentinian coach, Daniel Garnero. The 54-year-old wanted the Paraguay national team to play attacking football, but the changes he made haven't helped the team improve their performance. Paraguay's goal-scoring efficiency remains very low – only one goal in their last 11 matches.
The only thing that worries Argentinian fans about Paraguay is their past head-to-head record against the two teams. Argentina has only won against Paraguay once, scoring 3 goals in their last 6 encounters. Messi and his teammates have drawn with Paraguay 4 times (and lost once) since 2015.
Predicted lineups for Argentina vs Paraguay
Argentina: E. Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Allister; Messi, Alvarez, Gonzalez
Paraguay: Coronel; Rojas, Balbuena, Gomez, Alonso; Villasanti, Sanchez, Romero; Almiron, Avalos, Sosa
Prediction: Argentina 3-0 Paraguay
Xuan Phuong
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