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Reports indicate that Argentina will not call up Lionel Messi for their upcoming 2022 World Cup qualification fixtures. La Albiceleste have already qualified for the World Cup set to take place in Qatar.
They play against Chile away on February 28 before hosting Colombia on February 2 in two tough fixtures. But it's been reported they will fight the urge to field their talisman.
The forward has played a pivotal role in Argentina's 2022 World Cup journey and their boss Lionel Scaloni feels that Messi should be given a breather. The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) man is now 34-year-old. He might struggle to recover from exacting international matches with the Ligue 1 campaign still underway.
Lionel Messi did not start in the 1-0 away win over Uruguay in November either. A drab 0-0 draw with Brazil in their last match ensured that Argentina have amassed 29 points from 13 games to sit second in their group.
Brazil leads the10-nation group with 35 points while Ecuador are third with 23 points. Other teams in the group are Peru, Bolivia, Paraquay and Venezuela. The top four teams will automatically qualify for the World Cup finals. The fifth-placed country will enter into a playoff against a team from the Asian Football Confederation.
After the Brazil game Lionel Messi suggested that he had not been fully prepared for PSG's next match. He told reporters:
“I arrived with just enough, mostly because of the rhythm, and this was a very intense match. I'm fine, otherwise I wouldn't have played."
He added:
"I have been standing for a long time and it is not easy to play with the rhythm that this game demanded. I couldn't get much into the game. I knew it was going to be locked with a lot of friction. The important thing is that we continue well, that we did not lose and we continue to grow."
Argentina haven't won a World Cup since Diego Maradona inspired them to glory in Mexico in 1986. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar could be Lionel Messi's last stab at the only cup missing in his well-laden trophy cabinet.
PSG will be hoping that Argentina giving Lionel Messi a day off will inspire the forward's change of form
PSG will be keen to see if Messi's exclusion from national duty could give him the impetus to kickstart his stalled club career in Ligue 1.
The Argentine left Barcelona for Paris amidst much fanfare last summer. However, he has been unable to hit the heights that the football world has come to know him for.
Les Parisiens have established daylight between them and the chasing pack in the league with a 13-point lead over second-placed Nice. However, it will count for nothing if they can't get past the last 16 in the Champions League.
The French giants have been dominant in Ligue 1, lifting the title seven times since 2012. Yet despite boasting a star studded squad in recent years, they are yet to win the Champions League. They have boasted the likes of Neymar Jr, Kylian Mbappe, Angel di Maria, David Luiz, Thiago Motta, Thiago Silva, Achraf Hakimi and Marquinhos in recent times.
PSG host Real Madrid in the first leg of their Round of 16 fixture in the Champions League on February 15th.
