Lionel Messi does not have many weakness, but the Houson Dynamo hope to have found one ahead of facing Inter Miami in the U.S. Open Cup final.
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Argentine icon has starred in the StatesMore silverware in his sightsRivals planning how to stop himWHAT HAPPENED?
Major silverware will be up for grabs in Florida on Wednesday when two MLS rivals lock horns. Messi’s participation in that contest remains shrouded in doubt as he continues to nurse an untimely injury, but the Argentine icon is expected to figure for the hosts if he is anywhere close to being match fit.
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Erik Sviatchenko will be among those charged with the task of trying to contain Messi, with the Ukrainian-born Danish defender aware of how difficult it will be to keep the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner quiet. He said when asked if there are any chinks in Messi’s armour: “If you can keep him away from goal for as long as the game goes on, because Messi sometimes in the role he has now, he also drifts away from goal to get the ball. But of course it won't be possible for 90 minutes. He will pop up, he will pop up in spaces where he'll get himself in dangerous spots, either to assist or to have a hit on goal. It's very difficult to see where the weaknesses are. You can lose the game, within a second. He can take advantage of the slightest kind of mistake or the slightest unawareness in the team.”
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Sviatchenko has faced Messi before – in Champions League fixtures between Celtic and Barcelona – and does not boast the happiest of memories from those meetings. He added: “I wouldn't say that I had the best experience. The first game we played against Messi and Barcelona, with Celtic, we lost 7-0!” The Scottish giants lost a second clash with Barca 2-0, with Sviatchenko picking up a yellow card.
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Sviatchenko went on to say that Houston will need to be “very compact” when dealing with Messi in midweek, with the all-time great having already inspired Inter Miami to a historic Leagues Cup triumph during his short time in the United States.