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The decision to rest Messi comes from the fact that Argentina have already secured their place in the round of 32 and Scaloni needs to keep his scoring machine fresh for the knockouts.

Messi, who turned 39 only a couple of days ago, has been in sensational form in this World Cup, scoring all of Argentina's five goals so far. He first scored a hattrick against Algeria as the defending champions defeated Algeria 3-0. Against Austria, Argentina won 2-0, with Messi scoring both of them.

With five goals so far, the former Barcelona star, also eclipsed Germany's Miroslav Klose to be the all-time highest goal scorer in the history of the FIFA World Cup. With six points Argentina are currently leading Group J.

When asked about Messi, Scaloni confirmed that Messi won't start against debutants Jordan. "Leo will start on the bench," Scaloni told during the pre-match press conference on Saturday. "Leo will come in a little bit later," added the Argentine coach.

In a tournament of this stature, keeping all the players fresh is a big task for all the coaches. That's where the player rotation comes into place. Scaloni emphasised that all the players taking the field against Jordan deserve to be at this level. "Those that are playing tomorrow deserve to play, they are part of the team," Scaloni insisted.

"All the effort we've put in in training is because of them. They are making every effort when they're not playing. The dream as a coach is to have the team perform the same way, independent of the players who comprise the team. If you are wearing the jersey and playing, it doesn't matter if the game has significance for the points or not. You're going to do your best to win."

Cristian Romero steps up recovery

Meanwhile, defender Cristian Romero has stepped up his recovery from a knee injury by returning to on-field training, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) said as per Reuters. Romero had previously been restricted to individual gym sessions under the supervision of the team's physiotherapists after sustaining the injury during Argentina's 2-0 victory over Austria on Monday.

The centre-back was forced off in the 57th minute and is expected to miss the game against Jordan, with veteran Nicolas Otamendi likely to replace him. The 28-year-old had only recently returned from a knee injury suffered in April, raising fresh concerns over his fitness.

Argentina held their final training session ahead of the Jordan clash on Friday in Kansas City, but Romero did not take part in the opening 15 minutes that were accessible to the media. The session began with a video analysis of Jordan before the squad moved to the gym and then the training pitch. Scaloni oversaw tactical drills, while his assistants conducted set-piece routines focused on free-kicks and corners.

With Jordan already been eliminated, the Argentina vs Jordan clash is nothing but a dead rubber. While the defending champions will aim to go into the knockouts with an all-win record, Jordan would like to finish on a high with a first-ever point at the World Cup.