SAO PAULO (AP) — Lionel Messi will return from injury for Argentina in the next two rounds of South American World Cup qualifying, but several other top players will miss the coming games.

Brazil, who currently sit fifth in the 10-team round robin competition with ten points after eight games, will also have to deal with the absence of injured striker Vinicius Júnior in addition to the long-term absent Neymar. Under-pressure coach Dorival Júnior said on Wednesday that a little-known striker will take the Real Madrid star’s place in his starting line-up at Chile: 23-year-old Igor Jesus, who spent most of his career at Al-Madrid played. Ahli in Dubai.

Brazil will also be missing several other frequent starters in Santiago and against Peru on Tuesday. Goalkeeper Alisson, defenders Éder Militão, Guilherme Arana and Bremer are also out due to injury.

Júnior said at a news conference in Sao Paulo on Wednesday that both Jesus and Abner, a left back who will start his first game for the national team, are up to the challenge they will face.

“The training showed good things. Everyone is very focused so that we can play matches at a different level than the previous match, especially the first half,” said the Brazilian coach, referring to his team’s 1-0 defeat in Paraguay in October. “We all have the goal of reversing this temporary scenario (of being only in fifth place).”

Despite Messi’s comeback, World Cup champion Argentina is short for the matches against Venezuela and Bolivia. The most recent problem came in training on Wednesday, when 19-year-old midfielder Valentín Carboni injured his left knee.

Defender Marcos Acuña and attackers Paulo Dybala, Nico González and Alejandro Garnacho had already been ruled out.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez has been suspended for the two matches due to his bad behavior in the two previous rounds. Argentina leads the standings with 18 points. The six best teams automatically receive a place at the 2026 World Cup.

Second-placed Colombia with 16 points are also struggling with injuries ahead of matches in Colombia and at home against Chile. First-choice defender Daniel Muñoz will not play.

The exception will be Uruguay, which is currently in third place with 15 points. Striker Darwin Núñez will play after the Court of Arbitration of Sport accepted an appeal following his five-match ban for incidents with fans at the Copa America. Uruguay will face Peru and Ecuador.

Bielsa under fire

Several Uruguayan players, past and present, are dissatisfied with coach Marcelo Bielsa. Striker Luis Suárez said this week that the Argentine abused players and staff at the national team’s training center, which was later confirmed by captain Federico Valverde and other players.

Suárez, who recently retired from the national team, told journalists that Bielsa “didn’t even say good morning” to his players. The 37-year-old forward also said the coach abused Uruguayan Football Federation staff and banned players from greeting fans during the latest edition of the Copa América tournament.

“What Luis said is all true. He never lied, he never exaggerated at any point, he said things as they are,” said Valverde.

Striker Agustín Canobbio, who is not in Uruguay’s selection for the next two matches, added to the criticism against Bielsa.

“There was a constant lack of respect. I am very respectful, but we reached a point where I exploded,” Canobbio told Uruguayan radio Carve Deportiva. “I said to his face that he was being disrespectful.”

The coach does not want to respond yet.

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