NEW DELHI: Lionel Messi's fitness remains a concern for Argentina ahead of their Copa America quarter-final clash against Ecuador on Thursday.
The Argentine coach, Lionel Scaloni, has adopted a cautious approach, stating that he will wait before finalizing his team selection.
Messi missed Argentina's final group-stage match against Peru due to a sore right hamstring.
"We'll wait a couple of hours and make the decision. It is always better to have one more day. Yesterday we had good feelings and we'll take this day to define the team based on the response we get today," Scaloni told the reporters in the latest press conference, as quoted by AFP.
The team will hold a training session on Wednesday, and Scaloni plans to make a decision regarding Messi's involvement after assessing his response during the session.
Scaloni emphasized the importance of giving Messi an additional day to recover, acknowledging that it is always better to have more time.
"We'll try to get him in and then, if he's not (ready), we'll look for the best solution for the team. I'll talk to him today. I think it's fair that he takes his time and trains as much as possible," he said.
Ecuador's coach, Felix Sanchez, expects Argentina's gameplan to remain largely unchanged, regardless of Messi's involvement. He recognizes Messi's ability to make a difference but believes that Argentina's approach and tactics are well-established under Scaloni's guidance.
"We know we are playing a high level team, Lionel Messi is the player that makes the difference and we have played against them with him and without him on the field," Sanchez stated.
Should Messi be deemed unfit to start, Scaloni has the option of deploying Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez as a strike partnership. Lautaro Martinez has been in impressive form, leading the tournament's scoring charts with four goals from three games, including a brace against Peru. Alvarez, on the other hand, found the back of the net in Argentina's opening match against Canada.
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