Could Lionel Messi and Argentina’s national football team’s late arrival in Venezuela Wednesday night impact their performance?

Because of travel restrictions and Hurricane Milton ripping through Florida, the team left Miami yesterday afternoon and had a layover in Colombia before arriving in Venezuela the night before a World Cup qualifying match at Monumental Stadium in Maturín. Kickoff is scheduled today at 5 p.m. ET.

Messi is expected to start against Venezuela. It will be his first match with the national team since injuring his right ankle in the Copa America final against Columbia on July 14.

He missed Argentina’s 3-0 win over Chile on Sept. 6, and a 2-1 loss to Colombia on Sept. 10 in a rematch of the Copa America final. The loss to Colombia was just the fourth loss by Argentina in its last 65 matches.

Follow along here for live updates from today’s Venezuela vs. Argentina match:

How to watch Venezuela vs. Argentina live stream?

The game is available for live stream on Fanatiz with a subscription.

Is Messi playing today in Venezuela?

Yes, Messi is expected to be in action today against Venezuela.

Messi made his injury return with Inter Miami on Sept. 14. He has played in five games, scoring four goals and helping Inter Miami secure the MLS Supporters’ Shield. The regular-season title marked No. 46 for club and country in Messi’s legendary career.

“Messi is fine. He played several games for his team in recent weeks, after not being in the last call-up, which was what we had agreed because he needed to recover and get more minutes,” Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni said this week. “Leo is training with the squad and is ready to be part of the team to play against Venezuela, who will be a great rival.”

Is Argentina on upset alert? Here are betting odds vs. Venezuela

Is Argentina in danger of losing their second consecutive match? The oddsmakers don’t believe so. Argentina is the favorite (-175) to win vs. Venezuela (+525), while a draw after regulation has +270 odds, according to BETMGM.

Which teams have beaten Argentina? Here are the last 4 losses

Before the 2-1 loss to Columbia, Argentina last lost to Uruguay in World Cup qualifying last November 2023, Saudi Arabia in the 2022 World Cup opener and Brazil in the Copa America 2019 semifinal.

Argentina leaves Miami before Hurricane Milton

The World Cup champions were unable to fly from Argentina or the United States directly to Venezuela due to travel restrictions by the Venezuelan government. They departed Miami with a layover in Barranquilla, Colombia before arriving in Maturín, Venezuela on Wednesday night.

Argentina trained this week in Fort Lauderdale at the facility of Inter Miami, Messi’s Major League Soccer club. Those plans were made before the threat of Milton, a Category 3 storm that made landfall in Florida late Wednesday.

Messi, Argentina upcoming schedule

Messi and Argentina will return home for a second match Tuesday against Bolivia at 8 p.m. ET.

Then, Messi will return to South Florida for Inter Miami’s regular-season finale on Oct. 19. The MLS Cup Playoffs begin Oct. 25.