Lionel Messi is likely to miss the World Cup qualifiers due to injured hamstring. Messi sustains injury in his left hamstring during a 1-0 match against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, August 28.
Messi's soccer club Barcelona confirms the set-back and fears he may not participate in Argentine's match in September, according to AP report. Medical staff from Barcelona and Argentina's football federation concur that Messi is needing to sit few outings, which will include supposed match against Uruguay on Thursday, Sept. 1 and Venezuela 5 days after.
The World Cup qualifiers are part of Messi's commitment to his home country Argentina. The debut also marks his coming off from retirement in international competitions. Team Argentina is a serious contender to retain good standing in the South American zone after Messi's return.
Meanwhile, MailOnline reported that Argentina's new coach Edgardo Bauza is looking at the current lineup for potential replacement for the meantime. Several options include Marcos Rojo, Nicolas Otamendi, Pablo Zabaleta and Erik Lamela. These players are all called from the ongoing Premier League just to lift the national squad.
In a related development, two other Argentine players are reported suffering from injuries. Javier Pastore and Sergio Aguero have high chances of missing the qualifiers as well. Both stars are suffering from muscle injuries. Argentina FA issued a statement earlier last week about pulling out the two to avert further problems in the endgame.
Argentina FA also admits that Messi's absence, coupled with their two top strikers affects the chances in the opener. However, the squad's depth still shows strong strikers and midfielders to fill in the gap.
In 2014, Argentina placed a runner-up position, ranking third in South American zone composed of 10 countries. They garnered 11 points in 6 matches to trail behind powerhouses Ecuador and Uruguay. Venezuela showed strong start during the season but was not able to sustain the momentum and landed at the bottom of the ranking.
