Following the 2024 Copa America triumph, Argentina is back to basics. Lionel Scaloni’s side will be resuming their World Cup qualifiers journey as they take on Chile today before ending their September window with a match against Colombia. With just hours remaining until kick-off, the question looms whether Lionel Messi will be playing tonight.

The 37-year-old is closing in on a two-month absence from any action on the pitch after he picked up a tear-jerking ankle injury while playing for La Albiceleste during the final of the Copa America. He was forced off the pitch during the hour mark but Lautaro Martinez’s extra-time goal helped them secure a win as well as a trophy.

Unfortunately, this match also remains the same story as Lionel Messi won’t play tonight against Chile as well. Ever since returning back from the Copa America win, La Pulga hasn’t played a single match for Inter Miami as he remained sidelined due to the injury. This explains why Scaloni didn’t announce him in September’s roster as well.

Notably, even if Messi would have been fit, it’s unlikely that his domestic setup would have allowed him to leave. Already he missed a month of action for the recent CONMEBOL-based tournament and going again for the 2026 qualifiers would have been a risky call. The former Barcelona man has become more susceptible to injuries this year, forcing teams and coaches to think twice before using him.

Hence, just like Inter Miami, Argentina will have to look out for themselves. They are currently sitting at the top of the 10 CONMEBOL-based teams bracket with 15 points. In six matches, they secured five wins but lost one against Uruguay, who are sitting in second with just a deficit of two points.

The last time Argentina faced Chile was in the Copa America. They were drawn into the same group where Scaloni and Co. had secured a narrow win over La Roja, courtesy of Lautaro Martinez’s goal. While Messi did face Chile at that time, he certainly won’t now. However, he is not alone as there are some other key absentees as well.

Lionel Messi is just one of the injuries for Argentina

Aside from Lionel Messi, left-back Nicolas Tagliafico is the first name who remains out of action. Taking the place of the Lyon defender is Marcus Acuna instead, with Valentin Barco also an option for Scaloni. Meanwhile, the second name that remains sidelined is center-back Leonardo Balerdi. The pair from the likes of Nicolas Otamendi, Cristian Romero, Germán Pezzella, and Lisandro Martínez will be deployed.

Sadly, Argentina will now never see their veterans Angel Di Maria and Franco Armani, who both announced retirement from international soccer. Though the 3x World Champions have Emiliano Martinez for guarding the sticks, Di Maria surely remains an unreplaceable figure. Perhaps the likes of Paulo Dybala and Alejandro Garnacho can step up at this moment, especially for the fact that Leo Messi is also injured.