Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano has spoken about the possibility of Lionel Messi making his return to action against Orlando City. The Herons will face their Florida-based rivals in the MLS on Monday August 11th in a brief return to league action.Mascherano's side have been without their talismanic captain for about a week, with the 38-year-old having suffered a hamstring problem. The Argentine coach pointed out in a press conference (via @Intermiamicfhub) that he does not expect Messi to feature against Orlando City, as it will be too risky.“Lionel Messi won’t play tomorrow. It’d be crazy to risk him, but we’re optimistic he’ll be back soon.”Lionel Messi was forced off just 11 minutes into his side's second Leagues Cup group stage game against Mexican outfit Necaxa with a hamstring injury. He sat out his side's third group game, a dominant 3-1 win over Pumas UNAM that sent them through to the quarterfinals of the competition. Messi has been in sensational form for Inter Miami this season, and his last full appearance was marked with two assists, including one for the winner against Atlas. The former Barcelona man has scored 18 goals and provided seven assists in 18 MLS appearances this season, making him the league's leading marksman.Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul provided the spark for Mascherano's side in Messi's absence against Pumas and could do same against Orlando City. The forward may be expected to return to action in the Leagues Cup against Mexican side Tigres on August 20th. Inter Miami star admits difference with Lionel Messi absence from squadInter Miami forward Tadeo Allende has admitted that there is a major difference in how the team operates with and without Lionel Messi. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner is injured and was absent from the squad that faced Pumas during the week. Allende spoke after the Pumas game with Apple TV (via GOAL), explaining that the whole team felt Messi's absence due to his influence but the managed it well enough. He pointed out that they await his return to action, having achieved their goal of reaching the knockout stages. "We feel it quite a bit, obviously, because he ends the plays, he starts the plays, and he’s the one who has the last pass. But I think we knew how to handle it well, and we anxiously await him getting back on the pitch. Qualifying [for the knockouts] is a very important step for us. Let's see how we work and analyze our next opponents; this is step by step."Allende has been a fixture in Javier Mascherano's Inter Miami side since his arrival from Celta Vigo on loan in the off-season. The 26-year-old has scored 11 goals and provided one assist in 33 appearances across all competitions.