Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino has said Lionel Messi will be a game-time decision for Wednesday night’s U.S. Open Cup final against the Houston Dynamo.
Martino added that left back Jordi Alba would likely not be able to play.
Messi and Alba have both been dealing with muscle fatigue in recent weeks. Alba didn’t train on Tuesday, while Messi was a partial participant.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Martino said on Messi: “We’ll wait until the last minute to see what decision we make.”
On Alba, the coach added: “Jordi, it’s going to be difficult.”
After winning the Leagues Cup in August, Inter Miami is chasing a trophy double when it hosts the Dynamo on Wednesday at DRV PNK Stadium.
[afflinkbutton text=”Watch U.S. Open Cup final” link=”https://paramountplus.qflm.net/ZQmvrg”]
After a flying start to life with Inter Miami, fitness issues have slowed Messi in recent weeks.
The superstar missed out on Argentina’s second match of a two-game window earlier this month against Bolivia. Upon his return to the United States, Messi would then sit out Miami’s 5-2 defeat at Atlanta United.
Messi returned for last week’s win over Toronto FC, but he and Alba both left the game in the first half. Martino said Messi was dealing with “old scar tissue” while Alba had “muscular fatigue.”
The pair, along with Sergio Busquets, sat out Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Orlando City as they looked to get as fit as possible for Wednesday’s final.
Busquets looks likely to play, as he spoke with the media alongside Martino. The midfielder said his longtime Barcelona teammate would do all he could to be ready for the final.
“I think Leo has the desire to help the team and to win another championship. But like we said earlier, he’s going to know how much he can contribute,” Busquets said. “Every day that passes is a point in favor of how much he can contribute. But like we saw the other day, even after resting during Argentina’s game and our game at Atlanta, and seeming perfectly fine, [he wasn’t fit for the Toronto game].”
[afflinkbutton text=”Watch U.S. Open Cup final” link=”https://paramountplus.qflm.net/ZQmvrg”]
[lawrence-related id=29122,28925,28801]
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Pro Soccer Wire operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.