Messi was rested by Miami boss Javier Mascherano after an intense period of travelling but is deemed fit enough to feature for the world champion later this month.

Manchester City's Claudio Echeverri is also named in the group despite not yet having made his debut for his new club, alongside Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister and Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United.

Argentina is aiming to extend its five-point lead at the top of the CONMEBOL qualifiers table.

Mascherano confirmed after his side's 4-1 win over Houston that Messi was just suffering from tiredness after a busy period and was not injured.

He said: "Obviously we talked about it and I always say the same thing, there is no one in the world that knows their body as Leo knows it.

"After three games in six days, we thought that the best thing was to be able to rest, especially on a trip to the other coast of two-and-a-half, three hours."

Argentina plays Uruguay in Montevideo on 22 March (AEDT) before hosting Brazil on 26 March (AEDT).

Argentina squad: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille), Walter Benitez (PSV); Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), German Pezzella (River Plate), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Facundo Medina (Lens), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), Francisco Ortega (Olympiacos); Leandro Paredes (Roma), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Rodrigo de Paul (Atletico Madrid), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Maximo Perrone (Como), Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Benjamin Dominguez (Bologna), Thiago Almada (Lyon); Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Nicolas González (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolas Paz (Como), Claudio Echeverri (Manchester City), Paulo Dybala (Roma), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Santiago Castro (Bologna), Angel Correa (Atletico Madrid).