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Messi is set to miss the Inter Miami’s game against DC United on Saturday, March 16, according to Tata Martino, who spoke following the 3-1 victory in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16.

The Qatar 2022 World Cup winner left the field after 50 minutes and was replaced by Robert Taylor, a move which set off alarm bells for the fans in the stands of Chase Stadium.

Martino ‘didn’t want to take any risks’ with Messi

“He has an overload in his right hamstring, so we didn’t want to take any risks. We tried to play a bit more, but it was bothering him, so we decided to make the change,” Martino told a press conference.

Despite Messi’s desire to play every game possible this season, Martino revealed at the end of the tie against Nashville that “he won’t be ready for Saturday’s game”.

Given this revelation, Messi looks set to miss his second game of the 2024 MLS season, since he was not called up for Sunday’s match against Montreal and watched from the stands.

Martino knows that he must start thinking about a plan to play without Messi, something which did not work out on Sunday when The Herons lost to CF Montréal.

“He has been a decisive and influential player for 15 years at Barcelona, a couple of years at Paris Saint-Germain, and his entire career with the Argentina national team. Why wouldn’t he be the same with us? It’s not about replacing a player, it’s about replacing the best player,” Martino admitted.

Inter Miami’s next game, against DC United, will be played on Saturday March 16 at Audi Field, with kick-off set for 2 p.m. ET/ 11 a.m. PT. You can follow live text commentary on AS USA.