Lionel Messi will not play Saturday for Inter Miami against New York City FC. He continues to deal with a lingering hamstring injury, Miami assistant coach Javi Morales said Friday.
The goal is for him to be ready Wednesday for the team’s first leg of its Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal against LIGA MX club Monterrey, but it’s not a certainty.
“He’s being evaluated for the Monterrey match. It is a possibility,” Morales said.
Inter Miami has a five-game stretch in the next 15 days, where matches against Monterrey (April 3 and 10), are instrumental to the club’s desire to win its second title of the Messi era, following a Leagues Cup win in August.
WATCH: Messi and Inter Miami host NYC FC on Apple TV
TICKETS: See Inter Miami in person at home against NYC FC
SHOP: Get the latest Messi and Inter Miami gear from the MLS Store
Inter Miami will also be without midfielder Federico Redondo, who is out for the next eight weeks with an LCL injury in his left knee.
Saturday’s game will be Inter Miami’s first match in a week since losing 4-0 to New York Red Bulls last Saturday.
Mar 23, 2024; Harrison, New Jersey, USA; A fan holds up a sign for Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (not pictured) before the match against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Messi out for Inter Miami vs NYCFC. When will he return? Injury update
