Leo Messi a serious doubt for Argentina's game vs. Italy
The Barcelona star has some muscle fatigue
Argentina are not sure whether Barcelona star Lionel Messi will be ready to start their game against Italy at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Friday.
Messi is suffering from muscle fatigue and the most recent line from the Argentina camp is that he will not be fit to start the friendly.
Therefore, coach Jorge Sampaoli may choose to start him on the bench and reserve him for the game against Spain at Atletico Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano on March 27.
Messi first noticed the fatigue during Thursday's training session and afterwards spoke with Sampaoli about how best to manage the situation.
The Argentine media expect him to now start the game as a substitute and he could potentially play some minutes in the second half, with Ever Banega his replacement in the side.
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