Is Lionel Messi playing for Inter Miami against New York City FC tonight?

Lionel Messi has been ruled out of Inter Miami's home game against New York City FC in Major League Soccer (MLS) on Saturday, March 30. The Argentina superstar has still not recovered from his hamstring injury which has kept him out of action for a prolonged period of time.

Inter Miami's assistant coach Javi Morales has confirmed that the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner won't be ready for the game against NYCFC on Saturday. The Herons, however, will want to see him return to action for their mid-week CONCACAF Champions Cup game against Monterrey.

Morales was quoted as saying the following (via US Today):

“He’s being evaluated for the Monterrey match. It is a possibility."

Lionel Messi has been out of action for quite some time now. The last time he featured in a Miami shirt was during their Champions Cup Round of 16 second-leg tie against Nashville SC on March 14. He scored and assisted once in that game as his side registered a 5-3 aggregate win.

Since then Messi has remained on the sidelines. He also missed the recently concluded international break where Argentina played El Salvador and Costa Rica in international friendlies in the United States.

Despite Lionel Messi's absence, Inter Miami have a plethora of attackers to choose from. Manager Gerardo Martino could play the likes of Luis Suarez, Leonardo Campana and Robert Taylor to form a three-man attack.

The David Beckham-owned side are second in the Eastern Conference standings. They have picked up 10 points from six matches and are a point behind leaders Cincinnati FC but they have a game in hand.

NYCFC, however, are struggling in the early stages of the 2024 season. They are 14th in the standings, having picked up just three points from their opening five matches.

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Lionel Messi has made a bright side to his first full season as an Inter Miami player

Lionel Messi is competing in his first full season in the United States. The former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star has made a great start to the 2024 season, keeping the injuries aside.

As things stand, Messi has contributed five goals and two assists from five matches across all competitions. This includes a tally of three goals and an assist from three matches in the MLS.

The injury, however, has seen Lionel Messi miss the last three league matches for Inter Miami. The Herons have lost two of those matches, against Montreal (2-3) and New York Red Bulls (4-0).