Julian Gressel has shared if Lionel Messi will play for Inter Miami this weekend amid concerns with the New England Revolution’s stadium.
The Herons head up north this Saturday to face the MLS cellar dwellers with Inter Miami likely to extend their winning run to three games having claimed big wins in recent weeks against Sporting Kansas City and Nashville SC.
A big talking point heading into Inter Miami’s clash with the Revs, though, is the state of Gillette Stadium’s playing surface, with New England one of the last remaining sides in MLS to use artificial turf, something that might reportedly stop Luis Suarez from playing on the weekend.
And Gressel has now revealed if Messi could join the 37-year-old attacker in missing the trip to New England.
Messi expected to play for Inter Miami despite New England’s stadium issue
Speaking on the Player/Manager podcast, Gressel admitted that he expects Messi to play for Inter Miami this weekend against the Revs, though there are question marks if Suarez will make the journey up north to face New England.
With Jordi Alba out on the sidelines with Diego Gomez now joining the injury list, the last thing Inter Miami want is another star player going down having done something playing on turf, an outcome that could happen to Suarez.
Gressel said when asked who could miss this weekend’s clash: “I will ask when we’re preparing for the game, where I’m sure we’ll find out who will be available for the game. But he’s the only one [Luis Suarez] who has a question mark, of course’s Alba hurt, so the other two should be fine.”
When asked if Messi could pull out at the last second for Inter Miami, Gressel replied: “Not from what I’ve heard.”
Herons need to be certain Messi can handle playing on turf
Messi is a player who would gladly play on lava if it means getting to have a ball at his feet, and whilst Foxborough, Massachusetts won’t have such an environment, Inter Miami need to be certain the 36-year-old can handle playing against the Revs.
Gillette Stadium has claimed many victims over the years in both the NFL for the New England Patriots as well as when used for soccer, and Inter Miami will need to be cautious heading up north this weekend.
Indeed, losing Messi would be disastrous at this stage of the season, and Inter Miami need to ensure they’re not taking any risks this Saturday when they face New England on the road.
