'There will be Argentina shirts' - Lionel Scaloni expects fans to defy Lionel Messi ban against Paraguay

Messi set to miss out against Paraguay, but Scaloni confident fans will show their support

Argentina will be without Lionel Messi for their upcoming World Cup qualifier against Paraguay, but coach Lionel Scaloni is confident that the fans will still show their support.

Messi is serving a one-match suspension after being sent off in Argentina's 2-0 win over Bolivia last week.

Speaking ahead of the Paraguay match, Scaloni said: "We know that Messi is a very important player for us, but we have other players who can step up and fill his void. We are confident that we can get a good result against Paraguay, even without him."

Scaloni also urged the fans to come out and support the team, even though Messi will not be playing.

"The fans are always our 12th player," he said. "We need them to be behind us, cheering us on. We know that it will be a difficult match, but we are confident that we can get a good result with their support."

Argentina are currently second in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying table, behind Brazil. They have won four of their six matches so far, and a win against Paraguay would put them in a strong position to qualify for the World Cup.

The match against Paraguay will be played in Asuncion on Thursday, October 7.