Lionel Messi: Argentina captain to start for Paris St-Germain for first time since suspension

12th May 2023 | Source: BBC

Lionel Messi will return to Paris St-Germain's starting line-up on Saturday for the first time since making an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia. The Argentina captain was initially suspended by the club for two weeks for the trip, which followed PSG's h

Lionel Messi will return to Paris St-Germain's starting line-up on Saturday for the first time since making an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia.

The Argentina captain was initially suspended by the club for two weeks for the trip, which followed PSG's home defeat by Lorient on 30 April.

The Ligue 1 leaders, who have suffered three defeats in their past four home games, face AC Ajaccio on Saturday.

"He [Messi] will start tomorrow," PSG manager Christophe Galtier said.

"I spoke with him on Tuesday to see what his mindset was and I found him very determined to play."

Messi, who has a role as a tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia, apologised to his team-mates last Friday for making the unauthorised trip.

The 35-year-old returned to training on Monday having been left out of the squad for their 3-1 win at Troyes the previous day.

"He's very eager to win that title," Galtier added.

"With him in the team we'll have to adjust compared to what we did against Troyes. Leo is Leo. I'm not going to go into statistics but when he's with us we have to strike a different balance."

Messi is set to leave PSG when his contract expires in the summer.