Copa America: Lionel Scaloni says he cannot confirm Messi's presence in semi-final starting eleven

What's the story?

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has opened up about his team selection ahead of his side's semi-final clash against Brazil in the Copa America, stating that no player besides Sergio Aguero has been confirmed to be in the starting eleven.

In case you didn't know...

Argentina did not kick off their Copa America campaign with the best of starts, having lost 2-0 to Colombia in their opening game. This was followed by a 1-1 draw with Paraguay in their second group stage match.

Scaloni's men could consider themselves lucky to have established a victory over Qatar as they unconvincingly made it to the quarter-finals of the competition. The side put on a much-improved performance against Venezuela and won 2-0 to secure a spot in the semi-finals.

The Albiceleste are hoping to overturn their fortunes in the tournament after having lost two consecutive finals in 2015 and 2016. Their next game will prove to be quite the test as they are set to face rivals Brazil for the first time since 2007.

The heart of the matter

Scaloni has now confirmed that Aguero will start for Argentina in their Copa America semi-final against Brazil but he is yet to make a decision on the rest of the players, including Messi.

Aguero has netted one goal and assisted two in three games for the side, while Messi has only scored one goal in four matches.

According to Fox Sports, Scaloni said, "Every time they say that Aguero is going to leave, Aguero will start, every time they say he's going to leave, I'm confirming that he's playing. Only Aguero, the rest is not confirmed, nor Messi."

What's next?

You can catch the much-awaited Copa America semi-final between Argentina and Brazil on July 3 at 6.00AM (IST).