Lionel Messi and the rest of the Inter Miami squad have arrived at DRV PNK Stadium ahead of Thursday’s friendly against Messi’s boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys.
The highly anticipated friendly is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 pm local time, with Messi starting for Tata Martino’s team. The 36-year-old was seen entering the arena alongside Luis Suarez, who was also named in the starting XI.
Sergio Busquets arrived with his teammates but the midfielder will miss the game due to an injury. The 35-year-old was forced to exit the recent friendly against Vissel Kobe after sustaining an ankle issue. Miami went on to lose the game on penalties after neither side scored in regulation.
While his injury appeared to be severe at first, manager Martino claims that Busquets will be ready for their season opener against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday. Martino added that the veteran is already cleared to play but they are opting to let him rest.
‘If the league started tomorrow, (Busquets) could play. But he won’t play,’ Martino said of Thursday’s friendly.
Lionel Messi and the rest of the Inter Miami squad have arrived at DRV PNK Stadium
Messi and Miami are set to play against Newell’s Old Boys, the Argentinean’s boyhood team
Ready for a special night in South Florida. 📍@InterMiamiCF in the house ahead of a meeting with @Newells, Leo’s childhood club.
📺 #MLSSeasonPass at 7:30pm ET: https://t.co/53xhFwsnUj pic.twitter.com/IzEgAHWtKA
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) February 15, 2024
‘We’re saving him and getting him ready for next Wednesday’s match.’
Messi has also been dealing with a hip issue and missed some of the team’s preseason tour but the 36-year-old is fit enough to start.
Miami’s roster depth has already come into question after a recent report claimed the MLS team needs to find more allocation money and may even have to sell players to meet those requirements.
Sergio Busquets is sitting out the friendly due to an ankle injury he suffered last week
Players like defenders DeAndre Yedlin and Sergii Kryvstov as well as midfielders like Gregore, Jean Mota, and Robert Taylor have all reportedly been made available to be moved in order to comply with MLS’s roster regulations.
The team is also said to be willing to terminate the contract of Coco Jean if a transfer or trade isn’t agreed to in time.
A high-ranking sporting executive at a different team told The Athletic: ‘They are screwed. Trust me.’
It is not clear how much money Miami will need in order to meet requirements and the amount of allocation money used to pay down bigger contracts the club had from previous years.
