Argentina's head coach, Lionel Scaloni, announced on Thursday that Lionel Messi will start in the friendly match that the Albiceleste will play against Guatemala on Friday, on the outskirts of Washington. This will be the last preparation match before the start of the 2024 Copa America.

Messi was a substitute in the previous match, which Argentina played against Ecuador on Sunday in Chicago, where the '10' played just over half an hour in the second half.

"Leo will start," Scaloni announced at a press conference following the evening training session the team held after landing in the capital from Florida.

"The other day, it was planned that he would play a few minutes, and we had already discussed that he would play in this one, and depending on how he feels, we'll see how much. If he can play the whole game, all the better."

Scaloni said he expects Messi "to play football, to link up with his teammates, and to be himself on the pitch. To be comfortable, to feel at ease with the team."

The Argentina coach also assured at the press conference that he has not yet decided who the three players will be from the current 29-man squad to be cut, though he said he would inform them as soon as possible.

"Tomorrow will be the last test to finalize the decision. We have a pretty clear idea based on how the training sessions went this week," Scaloni stated.

"We are taking tomorrow's game seriously because anything can happen, and if the guys are available, it seemed logical to have them here and make the decision after the match," added the coach.