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Paraguay coach Ramon Diaz is braced for Saturday's clash against Lionel Messi, though he has no plans to man-mark the Argentina captain.
Diaz and Co. will open their Group B campaign against Copa America favourites Argentina at the Estadio La Portada in La Serena, with Messi fresh from leading Barcelona to the UEFA Champions League title and a club treble.
Article continues below"We won't personally mark him, but we'll tighten on him," Diaz said. "We'll try to make Messi not as comfortable as we've seen in some games.
"He's a very smart kid. He has intelligence and the ability to play on the sides or in the middle. He knows when to walk, when to recover and when to participate. A lot will depend on our concentration when he receives the ball.
"With a tough team, we can move in all sectors. We must counter Argentina."
And if he was given the chance to select a player besides Messi, Diaz would happily utilise Di Maria's services.
"The pace and dynamics he has, not many have these characteristics in the world," Diaz was quoted as telling Ole.
"[Javier] Mascherano was rightly praised a lot at the last World Cup, but central midfielders are plenty.
"I look for attackers. If [Argentina] don't want to start [Carlos] Tevez, I'll use him for 45 minutes!"
