Argentina will giddy-up into the final group stage match against Jordan at AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Saturday with global superstar Lionel Messi to start on the bench.
Manager Lionel Scaloni revealed the decision during Friday's pre-game press conference. Scaloni answered the question about Messi's matchday status from 91-year-old Argentinian journalist Enrique Macaya Márquez, and confirmed it's a staff decision unrelated to any sort of injury.
"So Leo is going to start on the bench, and it's not, and I'm not trying to skirt the question ... You should know, because I'm answering it because you deserve a sincere answer ... Now, as for the formation, I won't tell you any more on that, and Leo will come in a little bit later. The whole lineup, I've got this confirmed, but we'll announce that tomorrow," Scaloni said.
Argentina won first place in Group J, and with that have earned the privilege of either resting or rotating players ahead of the knockout rounds. For La Albiceleste, they racked up wins over Algeria and Austria, where Messi scored five goals over the two games and currently leads the World Cup Golden Boot race.
While the most famous player in the world getting a full rest ahead of knockouts might not have been completely frowned upon, maintaining form is important, and more players getting minutes tomorrow is a positive for Scaloni's side.
"Those that are playing tomorrow are playing because they deserve to be playing, they are part of the of the team, they are part of all the efforts that we've been doing in training ... It's because of them that they're making every effort," Scaloni said.
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