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Lionel Scaloni | Photo: AFP
Miami: Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni expressed uncertainty on Tuesday about when his team would be able to travel to Venezuela for their World Cup qualifier, as Hurricane Milton approaches Florida's west coast.
The powerful category five storm moved across the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday and is expected to hit Florida, where the reigning world champions are currently training ahead of their match on Thursday in Maturin, northeastern Venezuela.
"The game is important but the safety issue is even more important," Scaloni told reporters from Argentina's training base in Fort Lauderdale. "We are worried and we're waiting to see if we can in fact travel tomorrow as planned."
While Fort Lauderdale may not be severely affected, local authorities have issued alerts for tropical storms and flooding. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in more than 50 counties.
As a result of the impending hurricane, hundreds of flights to and from Florida were cancelled on Tuesday, according to the tracking service FlightAware, and several airports closed in preparation for the storm, which is expected to make landfall by Wednesday night.
"It [the logistics] will be difficult for us," Scaloni said, adding that the team had planned to travel on Tuesday but were prevented from doing so because of the severe weather. "We will arrive just one day before the game… We have to make a stop because they are not allowing flights from United States soil directly to Venezuela… These are things that do not depend on us. We have had bad luck with this situation. But the most important thing is the safety and health for the players and the rest of us."
The Argentine team is also facing challenges with injuries to players Marcos Acuña and Alejandro Garnacho, and goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is suspended. However, Scaloni confirmed that captain Lionel Messi is fully fit after missing the team’s September qualifiers against Chile and Colombia due to an ankle injury.
"Leo is fine. He played several games before joining us and that's what he needed, to get minutes," Scaloni said. "Before the last qualifiers, we agreed that he wouldn't be called up because he needed to play. Now he's fit, he's fine and he'll be part of the team."
Argentina currently leads the South American qualifying standings with 18 points from eight matches, two points ahead of second-placed Colombia. The team is also scheduled to play Bolivia in Buenos Aires next Tuesday, October 15.
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