Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni feels that his side will continue to play the same with or without the presence of Lionel Messi in the squad. Since making his debut for the national team in 2005, Messi has scored 112 goals in 192 appearances for Argentina, winning the World Cup in 2022 and two Copa America titles and a gold medal during the Beijing Olympics 2008. The 37-year-old missed Argentina’s 1-0 win over Uruguay and 4-1 thumping of Brazil in March, which saw the defending World Champions seal their spot for the next World Cup.

He was back in the squad for this month’s World Cup qualifiers and had a cameo appearance during the recent win over Chile. Speaking to the reporters, as quoted by Reuters, Scaloni said that Messi’s absence in the past meant that the team had to be rejigged to accommodate other players.

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“The team is now in a moment where it can play in the same way with Leo (Messi) or without Leo, which used to be more complex in the past as we had to change some players,” Scaloni told reporters ahead of the match in Buenos Aires.

“But now we don’t have this necessity and the team works in the same way, that’s good.”

Argentina will be facing Colombia next, who are in sixth spot in the South American World Cup qualifier standings and aiming to distance themselves from the rest. Colombia beat Argentina 2-1 in the reverse fixture in September and Scaloni is wary of the threat posed by them.

The Argentina boss expects it to be a good contest, especially playing in front of the home crowd.

“It’s a great team, and with great players, and it has a clear style that can put you in trouble,” Scaloni said.

“We’ve analysed it, we’ve shown the players their strengths and what we want to take advantage of. It’s going to be a nice game, especially because we play at home, so it’s good for our people to see the players.”