Messi eyes 100th Int’l goal

Argentina captain Lionel Messi will go in search of his 100th international goal when the world champions host Curacao in Tuesday's friendly.

The match is scheduled to begin at 5:30 am on Wednesday, according to Bangladesh Standard Time.

The PSG superstar led by example in Saturday's win over Panama, scoring his side's second with a trademark free kick on a night of unbridled celebration, which also marked his 800th career goal.

Victory over Panama marked Argentina's seventh win in a row across all competitions, with La Albiceleste scoring at least two goals in all of those successes since being shell-shocked by Saudi Arabia in their opening World Cup contest.

Each of Argentina's last five friendly matches has also ended in victory - with five clean sheets in a row - and Lionel Scaloni's charges can enjoy one final pressure-free contest before the qualifying cycle for the 2026 World Cup commences in six months' time.

While Argentina's 2022 was unforgettable for all the right reasons, Curacao's calendar year was a largely forgettable affair, and the world's 86th-ranked nation could not upset the apple cart in their Nations League group with Canada and Honduras.

Since the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010, Curacao have never tackled Argentina in competitive or non-competitive action, but few will expect the visitors to spoil the party mood on Tuesday.