Muscle problems had kept Messi out of the friendly against Italy on Friday, and although Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli said in the pre-match press conference on Tuesday that the Bar?a star was set to play, Messi's name did not appear on the AFA website, reports Efe.
The list included goalkeeper Sergio Romero; defenders Fabricio Bustos, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Rojo and Nicolas Tagliafico; midfielders Javier Mascherano, Ever Banega, Giovani Lo Celso, Maximiliano Meza and Cristian Pavon; and forward Gonzalo Higuain.
The Bar?a forward has been suffering from muscle pain in his hamstring and right adductor, and Sampaoli acknowledged to the media that he would not risk calling him up if the pain continued.
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