Kansas City (AFP) – The whole world is waiting to see Lionel Messi, said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, when the defending champions begin their World Cup campaign against Algeria on Tuesday. Messi is set to take part in a record sixth World Cup, four years after leading his country to glory in Qatar. The 38-year-old suffered an injury scare last month when he left Inter Miami’s 6-4 win over Philadelphia with muscle fatigue. However, he made his return in a supreme 20-minute cameo, including a goal from the penalty spot, off the bench in Argentina’s final warm-up friendly win over Iceland last week.
“Everyone wants to see him out on the pitch, not just Argentinians, because of the impact he has on people,” Scaloni told his pre-match press conference. “He has always been crucial for us and now he will be even more so. He looks good.” Centre-back Nicolas Otamendi has been alongside Messi for much of his international career and will take part in his fourth World Cup. “He’s a competitive animal,” said Otamendi. “He makes you keep trying, he doesn’t let you relax.” The ex-Manchester City defender added: “We enjoy every moment with him. He is a humble person who enjoys the team gatherings and training sessions.”
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Scaloni has had other injury concerns over goalkeeper Emi Martinez and forward Julian Alvarez but both are expected to start in Kansas City. Argentina lost their opening game to Saudi Arabia in Qatar before going on to win the World Cup for a third time. “The last World Cup taught us that the opening game isn’t decisive. It’s important, sure, but we have the peace of mind of knowing it doesn’t end there,” added Scaloni. “We’re about to face a very good team with great players, but we’re in good shape, we’re confident and we’re arriving in good form.”
African sides have already shown the threat they pose in the first ever 48-team World Cup. Tournament debutants Cape Verde held Spain 0-0 on Monday, while Morocco also secured a 1-1 draw against five-time winners Brazil. “Algeria is an opponent similar to Morocco. They have great players and a great coach,” said Scaloni. “The Brazil-Morocco match is a good example of why we can’t be overconfident. We’ve already seen with Spain that there are no easy opponents. Those teams have earned their place at the World Cup and Algeria concerns us because they are a great team.”
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