Lionel Messi suffers an injury SCARE just two weeks before the World Cup

Lionel Messi has suffered an injury scare just over two weeks before Argentina kick off their World Cup campaign.

Messi, Argentina’s captain, is set to miss PSG’s trip to Lorient in Ligue 1 with an inflamed Achilles tendon.

The superstar is desperate to take Lionel Scaloni’s side to glory in Qatar, after they won the Copa America in 2021, with the World Cup the only major trophy that has continued to elude him in his glittering career.

However, PSG have claimed that Messi’s injury is only a minor one, and they said they expect him to return to full training next week ahead of the Parisians game with Auxerre – their final match before the World Cup.

Messi did play the full match in PSG’s 2-1 victory over Juventus on Wednesday in the Champions League so Argentinian fans will hope him missing this weekend’s game is merely a precaution.

The forward has previously stated how Qatar 2022 will be the last World Cup he plays in and he has suffered a few injury scares so far this season.

Last month he missed a clash with Reims in Ligue 1 and a crunch Champions League encounter with Benfica due to a calf problem.

 The PSG star is set to miss their Ligue 1 clash with Lorient with an inflamed Achilles tendon

The Argentinian captain is desperate to win the only major trophy to elude him in his career

Since returning to fitness, Messi has been in supreme form, scoring 12 times and adding 14 assists in 18 games in all competitions so far this year. 

It is the latest injury scare for Argentina, with fellow attackers Paulo Dybala and Angel Di Maria both in a race against time to be fit for the tournament after suffering injuries this season, while Tottenham defender Cristian Romero is also expected to miss their final three games before the World Cup.

Reacting to those knocks for his teammates and the general rise in stars missing the showpiece event due to its scheduling, Messi highlighted his anxieties around the tournament. 

‘Injuries are a worry,’ he said last month.

‘This is a different World Cup which is played at a different time of the year to previous tournaments and it’s so imminent any little thing that happens to you can force you out.

Argentina have faced several injury scares including to Angel Di Maria and Paulo Dybala

‘With what happened to Dybala and Di Maria, the truth is that personally you worry and you’re more afraid when you see those sort of things.

‘It’s something you think about but I feel going out to play with that in your head can be contradictory as well.

‘The best thing you can do is perform as normal and play your game as you always do.

‘I hope Di Maria and Dybala recover in time. They have enough time to do so and reach the tournament in good shape.’

Argentina kick off their World Cup campaign on November 22 and also face Mexico and Poland in their group.