Messi and Inter prepare for the clash against Rayados in Monterrey

He Inter Miami of MLS trained this Tuesday for the first time on the grass of the BBVA stadium in Monterrey, with Lionel Messi on the field, before this Wednesday’s game against the striped Mexicans in the quarterfinals of Concacaf Champions Cup.

Messi, world champion in Qatar 2022, is preparing to play his first official match in Mexico, before he played some friendly duels in 2011 in Mexico City and Cancun, and in 2006 he was part of FC Barcelona that also traveled to Monterrey to face Tigres UANL, but that time he remained on the substitute bench.

Now, the former FC Barcelona player aims to start the rivalry this Wednesday, the second leg of the series between Monterrey and Inter, with Rayados going up 1-2 by winning the rivalry with that score. lost in miami

The Argentine is doubtful to see minutes tomorrow against Rayados, as he only played in his first game on Saturday, after recovering from a muscle injury that kept him out of the field for most of March.

“It’s fine, it felt good to play 45 minutes on the weekend, but we still have training today and we’ll see. It seems that the injury is being left behind, our season is just starting and we should have healthy players,” explained Argentine Gerardo Martino, Miami coach, before the Champions Cup duel.

Columbus Crew hopes in the semis

In addition to Messi, Martino will try to overcome the series at the BBVA stadium, which in 2026 will be one of the three venues of the World Cup in Mexico, with its other figures, the Uruguayan Luis Suárez and the Catalans Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.

The four, former Barcelona players, held training this Tuesday, where they did some physical exercises and with the ball, but above all it helped them get to know the field. The winner of this series will face Columbus Crew in the semifinals of the Champions Cup, which eliminated Tigres.