Here’s what you need to know about Argentina vs Honduras Friday at Hard Rock Stadium

South Florida soccer fans will get a rare opportunity to see Lionel Messi play in person on Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium as the World Cup-bound Argentina national team faces Honduras in a friendly match.

La Albiceleste, as the Argentine squad is known, will try to extend its win streak to 34 matches since a 2019 Copa America semifinal loss to Brazil.

Under the direction of 44-year-old rookie coach Lionel Scaloni, Argentina won the 2021 Copa America for its first major title since 1993, qualified for the 2022 World Cup, and beat European champion Italy 3-0 in June in a highly publicized “Finalissimo” match at Wembley Stadium in London.

Scaloni, whose playing career ended in 2015, was appointed coach in 2018 after Argentina had a disappointing finish in the Russia World Cup. It was his first coaching job at the senior level and, naturally, there were skeptics in the passionate Argentine fan base.

He had just two years of experience as an assistant coach when he took over. His coaching career began in 2016 when he joined compatriot Jorge Sampaoli’s coaching staff at Sevilla FC. In June 2017, when Sampaoli was named Argentina head coach, Scaloni followed him as an assistant.

One year later, after Argentina was knocked out by France in the Round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup, Sampaoli was let go. Scaloni and Pablo Aimar were named interim managers. That winter, Scaloni was given the permanent position.

He tinkered with the offense to create a system that best suits seven-time World Player of the Year Messi, whose remarkable resume is missing a World Cup trophy.

Scaloni also has bolstered a defense that struggled in Russia. Argentina lost its opener 3-0 to Croatia, tied Iceland 1-1, beat Nigeria 2-1 and then lost 4-3 to France. The addition of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and center back Cristian Romero has helped. Argentina has allowed a total of two goals in the past 12 games.

But Romero, who plays for Tottenham, has been unable to join his teammates at camp in Fort Lauderdale this week due to visa complications. He and Lisandro Martinez of Manchester United could not get visa appointments with the U.S. Embassy in London on Monday, after it closed for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.

They flew from London to Argentina in hopes of expediting the process there. Martinez got his papers, arrived in Miami Thursday morning and Scaloni said he hopes he can play Friday night. But Romero is still stuck in Argentina.

“It bothers me because I want him to be here, (Thursday) was our last chance to train and he isn’t here,” Scaloni said. If he is unavailable Friday, he may make it in time for the Tuesday game against Jamaica in Harrison, New Jersey.

The Honduras and Jamaica matches will be used to finalize the roster and tactics heading into the Qatar World Cup, which kicks off Nov. 20. Argentina last won the World Cup trophy in Mexico in 1986 and have twice lost in the final to Germany since then, most recently in Brazil in 2014.

Argentina’s 2022 World Cup first-round opponents are Poland, Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

“It is too early to say who will make the World Cup roster because a lot can happen in a month, but we are looking forward to playing against Honduras,” Scaloni said. “We have maximum respect for the Honduran team. Even though they won’t be in this World Cup, they have been in recent Cups and have a strong tradition. They have good players, and we will not underestimate anyone.”

Scaloni said the team has enjoyed training at the Inter Miami facilities, calling them “first class” and said they feel at home because there are so many Argentineans in South Florida.

Honduras, meanwhile, is aiming to get back on track after a last-place finish in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying tournament. That was a major drop off after qualifying for two of the previous three World Cups,

Coach Hernan Gomez was fired in March and Diego Vasquez replaced him. The 51-year-old Argentine has had a promising start with two wins in three games, including a 2-1 win over Canada, which qualified for the World Cup.

Vasquez will be coaching against his country on Friday night. He named five newcomers to the roster, including Minnesota United midfielder Joseph Rosales.

“I feel very proud and excited to have a chance to coach against my country of origin,” Vasquez said. “We will try to build on our recent success, including a win over Canada.”

Honduran defender Denil Maldonado said his team knows the quality of the Argentine players and they are looking forward to the challenge. Asked if he worries about injuring an Argentine player before the World Cup, he replied: “You never have bad intentions entering a match like this, but we plan to come out strong and play hard. For Argentina it may be a friendly, but for us we plan to leave our soul on the field and show that Honduras is a team that has the qualities and desire to compete.”

Tickets for the 7:30 pm. match are available through Ticketmaster.com