Inter Miami head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino confirmed Lionel Messi will not feature in the team’s Leagues Cup round-of-32 clash against Toronto FC on Thursday night as he has yet to train with the team since returning from Copa América with an ankle injury.
“Leo is getting better every day. He’s still training in the gym [not the field] but he’s better every time and doing well in the timeframe we had considered,” Martino said in a news conference on Wednesday.
Luis Suárez, however, will be available for the clash at Chase Stadium as he returns from a recurrent knee injury that saw the striker drop out of the 2024 MLS All Star match in Columbus, Ohio, and sidelined for the team’s final group stage game against Tigres on Aug. 3.
“Suárez trained well, at the level of everyone else in the group this week so he will be available for the match against Toronto,” Martino said.
The Miami boss had previously stated that Suárez felt discomfort in his knee, and remained on a day-to-day basis as the team monitors his situation.
Benjamin Cremaschi and Diego Gómez are set to rejoin the team on Thursday, after returning from international duty. Cremaschi featured for the U.S. in the Paris Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to Morocco while Gómez represented Paraguay through to the quarterfinals.
“They are in good condition, they arrived in different ways because Benja had little activity and Diego played all the games, but both are fit to be used and will be in the squad tomorrow,” Martino said.
With most of the squad available, Miami will attempt to beat Toronto at home in order to qualify for the next round of the tournament.
“The relevant thing is tomorrow, trying to play with a team that is very intense, that also plays well and that for my taste has a place in the table much lower than what they have been playing at lately, that it has important players and that it is going to be a really very very difficult match because at the end of the match it is not that you continue and the next match you have revenge,” he said.
“If you didn’t do things well and you were surpassed you go home.”
