What Messi's teammates do to survive the altitude before the game in Bolivia

Bolivia is without a doubt one of the most complicated settings to play. La Paz has a significant height above the sea that makes it almost impossible to play matches at the best possible pace, especially for rival teams. On this occasion, Argentina and Lionel Messi meet in La Paz for the second qualifying match towards the 2026 World Cup. However, the team has had to adapt in an important way to try to survive at these heights before the game.

For this duel and the arrival of the Argentine team to Bolivian lands, players like Alexis Mac Allister or Lautaro Martinez himself have been seen using oxygen tanks to avoid having a bad time in La Paz. In the last hours there was speculation about the possibility of a change of scheme with the inclusion of the recovered Lisandro Martínez in a line of five, but the possible absence of Leo Messi changed the plans.

Lionel Scaloni made a decision on Lionel Messi for the match against Bolivia in La Paz. After several days of uncertainty, in which it was even questioned whether he would travel with the squad, the Argentine National Team coach reached an agreement with the captain and it is already known whether he will be at the Hernando Siles Stadium from the start or not. . It is worth remembering that Messi came out injured in the last match against Ecuador.

Will Lionel Messi play against Bolivia?

According to information from journalist Gaston Edul, Lionel Messi will not start in La Paz, however, it is not ruled out that he will have minutes at some point. As happened in the last minutes of the victory over Ecuador at the Monumental when Lionel came out, the armband would be worn by Ángel Di María, who would also return to the starting team. It should be remembered that Fideo has always been one of the players who responds best at altitude.