Soccer-Messi set to appear in 2018 qualifiers for first time

BUENOS AIRES, March 8 (Reuters) - Lionel Messi will play his first 2018 World Cup qualifiers this month after being named in a 29-man Argentina squad on Tuesday. Captain Messi missed his country's first four qualifiers last year for the tournament to be played in Russia because of injury. Argentina, finalists in Brazil in 2014, made a poor start to the 10-nation, 18-match South American group in Messi's absence with a 2-0 home loss to Ecuador followed by a 0-0 draw in Paraguay in October. They picked themselves up with a 1-1 draw at home to Brazil and a 1-0 win in Colombia in November and are now in sixth place with five points, seven adrift of leaders Ecuador. Messi will lead Argentina away to Copa America holders Chile in Santiago on March 24 and at home to Bolivia in Cordoba five days later. The top four teams at the end of the campaign in 2017 qualify for the Russia finals the following year, and the fifth-placed side go into an intercontinental playoff. (Writing by Rex Gowar; Editing by Hugh Lawson)