Messi fitness concern emerges before England semi-final

It’s all set for a historic 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final bout between Argentina and England at Atlanta and just when people were eager for the clash between the two giants, news surfaced about Lionel Messi, the Argentinian captain, not training on the first day of the Argentina training on Sunday morning.

In the aftermath of their tough 3-1 triumph over Switzerland in extra time on Saturday evening, manager Lionel Scaloni decided to give players their needed recovery. After a tough tackle on the Argentinian icon by Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka, Messi was left with a bloody right eye during a fierce clash in the penalty box, though his tests concluded that the injury wasn’t serious, and he played for all 120 minutes of the game.

As opposed to the belief of a setback in fitness, Messi’s absence on the training grounds was a clear choice of managing load, especially considering Sunday morning was only meant for the substitutes and fringe players.

The starters of the Argentina squad, including exhausted players like Cristian Romero and Leandro Paredes (who had to be subbed off against Switzerland during the extra-time periods) were given the day off.

“We are going to recover, which I think is what we need and is the most important thing,” Scaloni said after the match. Following a session on Monday evening, the squad was due to head to Kansas City on Tuesday.

England concerned about fitness on the other side After their hard-fought 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in Miami, England find themselves grappling with their share of fitness concerns as well.

Star midfielder Declan Rice was replaced by Eberechi Eze in the middle of the park in the second half as manager Gareth Southgate switched to an attacking setup. However, Ezri Konsa sustained hamstring cramps throughout the second half.

Argentina’s historic task for Messi For Messi, it will be a monumental achievement if Argentina gets to the final as this would be the first ever competitive match he plays against England at the senior level, after he missed the chance back in 2005 after getting sent off in November that year.

Messi meets England at last with World Cup final place on the line

In addition to the chance to finally play against England, the eight-time Ballon d’Or recipient has scored 8 goals and assisted 2, just behind Kylian Mbappe for the Golden Boot.