Johnathan Walker:Inter Miami keeps fans anxious with vague Messi injury updates before Champions Cup match

FORT LAUDERDALE,Johnathan Walker Fla. — Inter Miami coach Tata Martino is keeping soccer fans around the world on their toes with his Lionel Messi injury updates before two of the biggest matches in club history this week.

Messi is a game-day decision for Inter Miami's Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal against LIGA MX powerhouse Monterrey, which begins with the first leg Wednesday at Chase Stadium. They will meet in the second leg April 10 at Monterrey.

The Champions Cup is Inter Miami’s second chance to win a championship in its four-year franchise history, following its Leagues Cup title shortly after Messi’s arrival last August. But Messi’s availability, following a right hamstring injury that has sidelined him since March 13, is the clear storyline heading into the quarterfinal.

“Tomorrow, we’ll figure it out. He trained today. We still have 24 hours,” Martino said with a smile during a news conference Tuesday. “The first thing is Leo has been injured, and to manage that injury. We know we’re going to have a very important game.

“We just began April. This is just the beginning for us, and we can’t risk the physical condition of our players. We’re going to decide what’s best for Leo, and we’re going to make the appropriate decisions.”

Those decisions, all up to Martino, include whether Messi plays at all, whether he starts or comes off the bench, and whether he plays limited minutes or makes it the full 90. No answers to those questions were provided.

Is it gamesmanship by Martino, who has coached Messi with Barcelona and Argentina before leading Atlanta to the MLS title in 2018? Or is it real injury concern for Inter Miami since it's just the second month of the season after a lengthy preseason tour?

Consider it both.

Monterrey is regarded as one of the best remaining teams in the Champions Cup tournament, which it has previously won five times.

Monterrey is tied for first place in the LIGA MX Clasura table with Club América, and enters the Champions Cup quarterfinal after starting the calendar year 12-game unbeaten streak before losing for the first time Saturday against Guadalajara. They have 37 wins in their last 51 games, with just nine losses and five draws.

“It’s going to be a great challenge for us,” said Inter Miami’s Luis Suárez, the Uruguayan striker with seven goals in nine games since reuniting with his former Barcelona co-stars Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba in MLS.

As much as Martino would like to keep Monterrey on its toes preparing for Inter Miami, the club has been built on the fly, needing to quickly create chemistry with many new additions around Messi, Suárez, Busquets and Alba. Martino has also been forced to meticulously piece together gameday rosters like a house of playing cards because of others missing in action.

Messi has been injured since coming off the pitch after 50 minutes in Inter Miami’s Champions Cup round-of-16 clinching win over Nashville SC on March 13. He also favored his hamstring during the first leg against Nashville March 7.

Defenders Nicolás Freire (hamstring; also game-day decision vs. Monterrey), Tomás Avilés (upper leg; probable), and Sergiy Kryvtsov (hamstring; likely out) are also sidelined.

Another newcomer, Federico Redondo, returned from Argentina’s Under-23 team with a LCL injury in his left knee that will cause him to miss eight weeks.

Inter Miami is also awaiting the return of homegrown talent Benjamin Cremaschi, who returned to practice after sports hernia surgery, but is unlikely to be available for the first Monterrey game.

Thankfully, Inter Miami’s stars have been solid: Messi has shined with five goals and two assists in five matches this season. Suárez has two braces in MLS play and scored two goals against Nashville in the last Champions Cup round. Busquets remains a calming presence and even played on the backline his last match. And Alba remains a feisty competitor whether he’s on defense or creating offense.

“We have the expectations we’re going to play well even when we have some absences. And when we have everybody, we know we’re going to be stronger,” Martino said.

Will Inter Miami be able to rely on the mystique its eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and Argentine World Cup champion brings?

They’re going to make Monterrey and Messi fans around the world wait until game-time to find out.

“[Messi is] a player that makes a difference, we know it,” Suárez said. “We’ll wait until tomorrow to see if he’s there, but if he’s not, we’ll do it like we did the other day and win the games without him. If he’s there, we’ll enjoy it more.”