Lionel Scaloni said Messi has reached his best physical condition to be able to take the field in the Argentina national team’s opening match at the 2026 World Cup.
The Argentina national team’s first match at the 2026 World Cup is a showdown with Algeria. The Albiceleste’s preparation process faced many difficulties due to injuries to some players, but Scaloni has recently delivered positive news regarding the home team’s squad situation.
He shared: “I always have difficulty choosing the starting lineup as all the players in the team are very good, except when a player is injured, but currently no player is injured.
We will monitor Nico Tagliafico’s situation to see if he can participate in training with the team, but in principle, all players are ready. I have never had difficulty forming a squad. The difficulty I used to face is having to leave out good players.
But balance is the principle. We play with 11 people and try to find balance, so some will be left out but we are still strong.
Emiliano is fine and will play tomorrow. If he shows the form like yesterday and the day before, I think he will play. Julian had an ankle issue but his recovery process is good and he will play tomorrow.”
Messi was also among the players who suffered injuries before the tournament. But Scaloni stated that this forward is fine. The Argentina head coach also affirmed Messi’s role as well as his influence on the pitch.
Scaloni said: “Everyone wants to see Messi play on the pitch. He has excited everyone, not just Argentines. From my side, things will always be like that. I don’t see anything negative.
He has gone through many different situations and is always an important factor for us and now he will be even more important. I see that he is very well.”
Scaloni also said Argentina is under no pressure before the opening match: “We are very calm, because this is just a football match like any other. The whole team has experience from the previous World Cup, the first match is not everything.
It is important, but everything does not end at the first match. The Argentina national team is playing well, we are calm. Even though we have to face a strong team with good players, we are still calm because we are in a good moment.”
