Lionel Messi is likely to miss Inter Miami’s starting XI for their game against FC Dallas in the Major League Soccer after missing the side’s training.
Miami are coming off a 2-0 loss against the Whitecaps in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Speaking to local media outlets, head coach Javier Mascherano hinted at changes to the starting lineup for the match due to the 72-hour turnaround after the Concacaf Champions Cup first leg semifinal game.
Reports said that Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez might play secondary roles in their MLS game against FC Dallas after missing the first 15 minutes of training open to the media.
Apart from the duo, goalkeeper Oscar Ustari was also absent from the training, while midfielder Sergio Busquets worked separately.
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Ahead of their MLS game against FC Dallas, Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano rued the short rest period for players in between games.
“One thing is to play every three days. Most of our players are used to it, another thing is to play with less than 72 hours. We finished playing on Thursday at midnight in Miami and we’re on to play Sunday at 5 pm,” he said.
Mascherano added, “It’s not even 72 hours, with a trip of 6 hours. Clearly, it’s not the same situation as against Toronto because we had played against LAFC on a Wednesday. We had more time on the recovery. I think it was Wednesday, Sunday, Wednesday. So, yes, we’ll see.”
The Inter Miami coach revealed that Lionel Messi felt some fatigue after the game due to the synthetic field.
“Messi ended the game well. Obviously he was fatigued, playing on synthetic grass can make a player even more fatigued due to the floor. But he finished the game well,” he said.
