No Messi in starting 11 for Argentina vs Spain friendly

Argentina and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi was not included in a possible starting lineup for his national team's friendly match against Spain on Tuesday, according to a list on the Argentine Football Association website.

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 Barça 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 Barça 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.

--IANS

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