Lionel Messi is likely to be back in action for Inter Miami as they take on the LA Galaxy on Saturday night at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The 38-year-old missed Inter Miami’s last two matches against Pumas UNAM in Leagues Cup and against Orlando City SC in MLS regular season play, but is expected to return to the lineup against the reigning MLS Cup Champions.
“Leo is fine. He’s been training with the team since Wednesday,” Mascherano told reporters. “Barring anything strange today, he should make the squad for Saturday’s match.”
Messi suffered a soft-tissue injury to his right leg in the seventh minute of the Leagues Cup clash against Necaxa, after hitting the pitch following an attempt to dribble past multiple defenders. The Argentine initially continued, but had to be removed in the 11th minute after receiving on-field treatment.
So far this season, Messi has 18 goals to co-lead the MLS Golden Boot race alongside Nashville SC’s Sam Surridge, and also has nine assists to bring his total goal contributions to 27 in 19 regular-season appearances.
In all competitions this season, Messi has played over 85 minutes 27 times. However, the amount of playing time and heavy minutes he logs were cited by co-owner Jorge Mas as the reason he and teammate Jordi Alba did not attend the MLS All-Star Game, which caused them to incur a suspension for an eventual 1–1 draw vs. FC Cincinnati.
Inter Miami will hope Messi’s reintroduction can help them bounce back from a 4–1 loss against Orlando, which saw them slip to sixth in the Eastern Conference and within four points of dropping out of the top seven teams, which skip over the MLS Cup Playoffs Wild Card round.
After Saturday’s match, Miami will have 10 regular-season games remaining, while also eyeing the club’s second Leagues Cup title, when they take on the quarterfinals of that competition against Tigres UANL on Aug. 20.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lionel Messi Set to Return From Injury for Inter Miami vs. LA Galaxy .
