Lionel Messi's fitness is still in question leading up to the second leg of Inter Miami's Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16 tie against Cavalier.
Four days after defeating Charlotte with just 10 men, Inter Miami are headed to Jamaica with a trip to the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals on the line. Javier Mascherano's men secured a 2–0 victory in the first leg against Cavalier last week and now must finish the job amid growing concerns about Messi's status.
Javier Mascherano assured fans Messi is not injured, yet the 37-year-old has not played for Inter Miami since Feb. 25. Not only did Messi miss out on the Herons' fixtures against Houston Dynamo, Cavalier and Charlotte, but he once again remains a doubt for Thursday's match.
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Here's the latest on Messi's status ahead of Inter Miami's trip to Jamaica to face Cavalier.
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Will Lionel Messi Play for Inter Miami vs. Cavalier in the Concacaf Champions Cup?
Mascherano has yet to confirm if Messi will play against Cavalier in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup round of 16. In fact, it is unclear if Messi will even travel to Jamaica with the club.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner did train with the team, though, in the days leading up to the clash. Still, the club might not want to risk Messi in a game where Inter Miami already have a 2–0 lead on aggregate. Cavalier have also never won a match in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Managing Messi's workload is a top priority for the defending Supporters' Shield winners. The forward could have featured at the weekend against Charlotte, but Mascherano opted to keep Messi on the bench once the Herons went down to 10 men.
"The reality is that in the case of Leo maybe we had thought about giving him minutes in the game," Mascherano said. "But since the game was played with one man less, and taking into consideration the time he has without playing, we thought that the best thing was to preserve it. We didn't want to risk it."
Inter Miami always tend to air on the side of caution when it comes to Messi, so even if the Argentine makes the trip to Jamaica, he could still end the match as an unused substitute should the team have a comfortable lead.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Will Lionel Messi Play for Inter Miami vs. Cavalier: Concacaf Champions Cup?.
