Is Lionel Messi playing for PSG against Pays de Cassel in the French Cup?

Lionel Messi will not feature when Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) take on Pays de Cassel in the Coupe de France on Monday (January 23). The Argentine forward has not been included in the squad for their away game in the French Cup.

This will be the second time that Messi will not take part in a Coupe de France game for PSG. The Argentine skipper did not feature when Christophe Galtier's side took on Chateauroux earlier this month as he had just returned from this extended break after the World Cup.

Lionel Messi's absence, however, has nothing to do with any injuries. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner's name is not included in the first team's medical update report. Therefore, Messi has just been given a rest before the Parisian giants return to league action next weekend.

It is worth noting that Lionel Messi has not played much since his return to France after the World Cup. The former FC Barcelona forward has played just two Ligue 1 games.

Messi also started PSG's friendly game against Riyadh All-Star XI and Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia on Thursday (January 19). He scored the opening goal in an entertaining affair that ended in a 5-4 win for the French giants.

It is, however, worth mentioning that both Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr. have been included in the squad that will travel to Pays de Cassel. The PSG squad for their game in the Coupe de France can be seen below:

OFFICIAL: Messi is NOT included in PSG's Coupe de France squad against US Pays de Cassel, Mbappe and Neymar are in. https://t.co/oT7P9uS9a5

Paris Saint-Germain are expected to secure a safe passage to the Round of 16 of the Coupe de France. It is, however, a huge game for Pays de Cassel. The hosts are an amateur side currently competing in the sixth tier of French football.

Lionel Messi's 2022-23 season for PSG has been extremely productive

Lionel Messi is currently enjoying an extremely productive season in front of goal for PSG. The World Cup-winning forward is currently the club's leading assist provider and the third-highest goalscorer so far this season.

🔵 Leo Messi
🔵 @neymarjr
⚪️ @Djoninho25

Who finishes this season with the most assists? 🤔

#Ligue1UberEats https://t.co/vxM73Nt9ue

At the time of writing, Messi has contributed 13 goals and 14 assists from 21 competitive games across all competitions. Only Neymar and Mbappe have scored more goals than Messi this season.

Lionel Messi recently scored against Angers on his return from the World Cup in a 2-0 win for the Parisian outfit. However, he did not make a single goal-scoring contribution during their 1-0 defeat to Rennes last week.