The workload of the 37-year-old Argentina captain has been managed since the start of the Major League Soccer season.

Billed as Lionel Messi vs. Neymar just a week ago, Argentina will host arch-rivals Brazil in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying without either of the two superstar forwards.

That expanded field means Argentina is already well on its way to a World Cup return, but the table is tightening up. Brazil have recovered after a slow start, while Colombia and Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay are dangerous but have had hiccups and Bolivia had won three in a row to thicken the plot in the race for the final