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Lionel Messi is expected to start when Argentina travel to the Maracana to take on rivals Brazil in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday (November 21). The defending world champions will want to bounce back from their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Uruguay last time around.
Messi started and played the full 90 minutes against Uruguay as Argentina suffered their first defeat in their World Cup qualifying campaign. Ronald Araujo and Darwin Nunez were the two goalscorers for Uruguay on that occasion.
Lionel Messi will want to lead his side back to winning ways against Brazil when they meet on Tuesday evening. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner is expected to captain his side against their arch rivals at the iconic Maracana Stadium.
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has many attacking players to choose from to partner alongside Messi in attack. Against Uruguay, the World Cup-winning tactician went with a frontline of Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez and Nico Gonzalez.
However, the likes of Lautaro Martinez and Angel Di Maria are also in contention for a start alongside the Inter Miami superstar.
Despite the defeat against Uruguay, Argentina are still at the top of the CONMEBOL qualifying table for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The three-time world champions have amassed 12 points from their opening five games and are two points clear of second-placed Uruguay.
Brazil, on the other hand, have had a disappointing run of games recently. The Selecao have lost two consecutive games in their qualifying campaign and sit fifth in the standings on seven points. They come into the game on Tuesday following a 2-1 defeat to Colombia on Thursday (November 16).
Argentina skipper Lionel Messi does not have the best records against Brazil
Lionel Messi has had an illustrious international career with Argentina, winning the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He has scored 106 goals in 179 international caps along the way.
Messi, however, does not have the best records against fierce rivals Brazil. The former Barcelona star has scored just five times agains the five-time world champions from 13 appearances. Three of those goals came in the same game when he scored a hat-trick against the Selecao back in 2012.
As things stand, Lionel Messi has not scored a goal against Brazil in World Cup qualifiers. According to GOAL, he has also not tasted a win against them in qualifying games in his long international career.
However, Messi and La Albiceleste did come out on top when the two teams met in the Copa America final in 2021, winning 1-0.
