Tight Fixture As Messi, Alba Doubtful For Inter Miami League Match 

Inter Miami coach Gerardo Martino says he does not know if Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba will be fit to feature against Toronto this week.

Alba missed Miami’s weekend 5-2 loss to Atlanta United while Messi was not there for either of Miami’s last two MLS games. Although Martino claims that the two are healthy enough to train on Tuesday, it is unknown whether they will participate in the midweek match.

READ ALSO: Without Busquets, Messi Would Find MLS League Harder’ 

Messi, 36, joined the Florida team in the summer and has since been a key player. The former Barcelona hero has scored 11 goals in as many games, whereas Alba has only managed one goal in four US appearances.

“Every player on our roster wants to play every match. That is the mentality of our group,” Martino said. “We have a lot of important matches in a short window of time, and one of my responsibilities as the coach is to care for my players and help them make the hard decisions that will give us the best chance of keeping everyone healthy during this busy run. 

“Beginning on Wednesday, we have six matches in 18 days, which is one match every three days, including the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final. Regarding Messi and Alba, both players will train in the full session today with the team and after that we’ll see if they’re available to play and to what extent.”

Inter Miami will host Toronto at the DRV PNK Stadium and will hope to get back to winning ways after their defeat against Atlanta.