He trained alone ahead of the game

Lionel Messi will finally travel to La Paz to face Bolivia on Tuesday in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The Argentine star was in doubt to travel due to the discomfort that forced him to go to the clinic on Saturday afternoon and that he had been carrying since the match against Ecuador, when he asked to be substituted in the final minutes.

The discomfort does not seem to be serious and Lionel Scaloni, in his pre-travel press conference, confirmed this Sunday that Leo will be there.

“Leo is going to travel, today he trained separately, but he is fit,” he confirmed.

“There are two days left, and we will make a decision on whether or not he will play the day before or on Tuesday.

“Messi and Cuti Romero are fit, and we’ll see if he plays from the start or from the bench or even if he doesn’t play.

“He trained separately as a precaution and the other day he was tired and asked to be substituted, but he will be in Bolivia”.

Messi, with 104 goals in 176 games with the national team, could, if he plays, definitively beat Uruguay’s Luis Suarez as the top scorer in South American World Cup qualifying, as both have 29 goals.

For his part, Scaloni said that there will not be many changes with respect to the line-up that won 1-0 against Ecuador on Thursday night.

“The team will be similar to that of the other day, the same block as always, although there may be some variations,” he said.