Bad news for any English football fans who were hoping for the chance to see the world's greatest player, Lionel Messi, in the flesh tonight. The Barcelona man is set to miss the international friendly between Italy and Argentina with a muscle injury that has been caused by Barcelona's recent busy fixture list.
Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli is set to name Ever Banega in the lineup in Messi's place with two of Europe's top forwards, Paulo Dybala and Mauro Icardi, struggling to get into the squad. Gonzalo Higuain is also likely to miss out as Sergio Aguero is set to start up front at the Etihad, where he plays his club football.
The attacking talent of this Argentina squad may be the best in world football but their midfield and defence is what could let them down this summer. They are still reliant on Sergio Romero in goal with Marcos Rojo and Ramiro Funes Mori in a weak back line, especially at full-back.
In midfield, Angel Di Maria and Ever Banega have the most caps but neither provide a solid basis for the flair players to build on.Tonight will give us more of an insight into how the side will line-up heading into the World Cup in Russia but the manager needs to find a way of harnessing his attacking talent.
This will be Lionel Messi's last chance to lead his side to World Cup success having come so close last time around. But he will miss this game against Italy and is expected to play against Spain on Tuesday instead.
