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.

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• Messi and Alba missed recent match
• Pair will train on Tuesday
• Martino unsure if they will play

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Messi was absent from the Miami squad for their last two MLS matches, while Alba missed their 5-2 defeat against Atlanta United at the weekend. Martino says the pair are fit enough to train on Tuesday, but it is not known if they will play in the midweek clash.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Messi, 36, has been a pivotal figure for the Florida club since he joined in the summer. The former Barcelona hero has netted 11 times in as many games, while Alba has scored once in his four appearances in the United States.

• WHAT THEY SAID?

  "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."

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

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

Tags: Futebol
Category: News