MIAMI — A year after his dramatic Inter Miami debut in the Leagues Cup, Lionel Messi will have to watch the 2024 tournament opener from a stadium suite on Saturday as he recovers from a ligament injury in his right ankle.

Inter Miami coach Tata Martino confirmed on Friday that Messi remains in a protective walking boot and is ruled out of the Inter Miami home match against Mexican team Puebla at Chase Stadium. He has missed 13 of Inter Miami’s 25 league games so far this season, seven due to injury, five for Copa America duty, and he was rested for the Vancouver road game.

“Leo has been exclusively working indoors with the kinesiologist, he’ll have some more days in the boot, and then we will see the timetable as to when he can return to training on the field,” Martino said. “But his ankle is looking better every day. As for his mood, you can imagine how he feels knowing he can’t play. The days pass and each day he is more eager to play, but you have to respect time and he has to heal properly.”

Forward Luis Suarez also may miss the game Saturday. He has knee inflammation, is questionable and will be a game day decision, Martino said. Center back Sergiy Kryvtsov is out with a knee injury, but trained on the field on his own Friday and is expected to return to full training next week. Benja Cremaschi [USA] and Diego Gomez [Paraguay] are in France for the Olympics.

Martino added that he hopes to have his full roster back by the end of August, which would coincide with the resumption of the MLS schedule after a month-long break for Leagues Cup. Inter Miami is in first place in the league standings with 53 points and nine games remaining. Last year that would have been enough points to secure a playoff spot.

Messi injured his ankle playing for Argentina in the Copa America final against Colombia at Hard Rock Stadium on July 14. He was forced to miss Miami’s July 17 game against Toronto and the July 20 game against Chicago. Inter Miami won both, and has won six of the past seven matches without its Argentine captain.

A year ago this week, Messi scored a stoppage time free kick in his Inter Miami debut to secure a victory in the team’s Leagues Cup opener against Mexican team Cruz Azul. Miami went on to win seven games and lift the trophy. It remains to be seen how many Leagues Cup games Messi will play over the next month, if any.

Although the second edition of the tournament comes with less fanfare for defending champion Inter Miami, Martino says his team will be highly motivated to keep the trophy in its possession.

“We assembled a deep roster knowing all the absences we would have between Copa America, Olympics and injuries, and we are in a good position,” Martino said. “But we will not be at full strength until the end of August. We won’t see our complete roster during Leagues Cup.”

Newly-signed center back David Martinez, on loan from Argentine club River Plate, got his work visa Friday and will be available to make his Inter Miami debut on Saturday. The team had been in search of an experienced center back to replace injured Nico Freire, Martinez was looking for more playing time, and Martino said he was the perfect solution.

“David is a player who has had a good career as a central defender, has a strong left foot, has experience defending teams that play high pressure, so surely we will find in him the answer we were looking for with the injury to Nico,” Martino said. “We are very happy with his arrival.”

Martinez played only sparingly for River Plate this season after recovering from a knee injury in January. Martino said that does not concern him.

“We are aware that David is not a player who is arriving as a [high-priced] DP [Designated Player], it is very hard to find players at the peak of their careers who can come to MLS unless they are DPs,” Martino explained. “It was the same with Nico with [Green team] Olympiakos. He wasn’t playing much with them, we knew him from [Mexican club] Puma. This is the same. We know David from his best years when he played for [former River Plate coach] Marcelo Gallardo. Now, we hope to recover that player. We are confident because he is young, well-coached and healthy.”

Martinez, a native of Paraguay, is looking forward to getting a fresh start. He said compatriot and new teammate Matias Rojas welcomed him and has helped integrate him with the club.

“I think this is a good change for me and I am 100 percent ready to play,” he said. “When they tell you that you will play with Leo Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Lucho Suarez, it’s very difficult to say, `No.’ They are unique players and playing with them motivates you.”

Puebla is in 13th place in the Liga MX standings, in a rebuilding phase under coach Jose Manuel de la Torre, who is nicknamed “Chepo.” Among the players to watch is Lucas Cavallini, an Argentine-Canadian who has played for Canada’s national team. He leads the team and is tied in the Golden Boot race with four goals in four games.

“Inter Miami is the defending champion, they’re in first place in their league and we’re playing in their house, so we have a lot of respect for them and expect a very tough game,” Cavallani. “We feel privileged to play in this tournament against a team with so many elite players and we will do our best to win the game.”

How to Watch Inter Miami vs. Puebla

The Inter Miami vs. Puebla Leagues Cup game kicks off at 8 p.m. at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. It will be televised on Apple TV MLS Season Pass.

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