Lionel Messi will not play for Inter Miami CF against Monterrey in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal clash on Wednesday due to an ongoing right hamstring issue.
Though Messi trained with the rest of the squad on Tuesday, Miami head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino confirmed in the media availability ahead of the match that he would not “put the conditions of our players at risk” for this game.
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Messi last played on March 13, making a 50-minute appearance for Miami against Nashville SC in the second leg of the Champions Cup round of 16. Despite the early substitution, the Miami star contributed to the 3-1 victory with a goal and an assist.
Overall, he has recorded five goals and two assists in five matches across all competitions for Miami this season.
On Tuesday, Martino said that Messi’s role for the first leg against the Liga MX side had not yet been defined, after he had missed both of Argentina’s friendlies in the last international window due to the injury.
Miami bypassed the initial round of the Champions Cup by winning the inaugural edition of Leagues Cup in 2023, before beating Nashville in the round of 16 to advance to the quarterfinals.
The next match for Messi and Miami is a MLS home game against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday. It is unknown at this time whether he will be available for that game.