LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) Houston Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen is anticipating the return of Lionel Messi from injury for the U.S. Open Cup final, although Messi’s availability remains uncertain.
Olsen expressed confidence that Inter Miami will be a formidable opponent even if the Argentine superstar is unable to participate.
During a press briefing before the match, Olsen stated, “We’re pretty sure he’ll play. We’ll prepare for them in that way. They’ve got some options if that isn’t the case.
“But we’ll prepare for their best lineup unless we hear something more concrete.
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“There’s been thousands of coaches that have tried to stop him, and thousands of coaches have failed constantly, so I don’t have the magic bullet to stop Messi.
“No one has proven that they do have that. But of course, we’re all trying to do the same thing: limit his space and condense the areas. There are all these little tricks that you can do to try to limit him.
“But they’ve also put together a very good supporting cast around him so now you dial in too much there and there’s a lot of other guys that can hurt you.”
Lionel Messi missed Miami’s training session on Tuesday as he recovers from an injury sustained while playing for the Argentine national team.
Manager Tata Martino has indicated that a decision regarding Messi’s participation will be made at the last possible moment.
Gerardo Martino’s team is looking to secure their second title of the season after their Leagues Cup victory as they face the Houston Dynamo in the U.S. Open Cup final on Wednesday.