FOXBOROUGH — Anyone with a ticket to Saturday night’s Copa America quarterfinal between Argentina and Venezuela is in for a spectacle: Argentina coach Gerardo Martino said Lionel Messi will make his first start of the tournament at Gillette Stadium (FX, 7 p.m.).

Messi, the five-time Ballon d’Or honoree as the world’s best player, was sidelined for the tourney opener,a 2-1 win over Chile, with a back injury.

In wins over Panama and Bolivia, Martino utilized his star in a substitution role.

“He’s recovered almost completely so I think the game finds him in good shape,’’ Martino said Friday evening through a translator.

A full-strength Messi adds firepower to a team that doesn’t seem to need it. Argentina rolled through Group D with three wins, the only team to sweep its group, and enters the match with Venezuela having outscored opponents, 10-1, edging Chile (2-1) before routing Panama (5-0) and Bolivia (3-0).

Venezuela, on the other hand, made a surprising run to the knockout stages by defeating Jamaica (1-0) and Uruguay (1-0), then drawing with Mexico (1-1). Manager Rafael Dudamel’s squad registered both its wins by just one goal, aided by goalkeeper Dan Hernandez.

Argentina, and Messi, will present an even more difficult challenge for the Venezuelan side. Dudamel, however, said he wouldn’t count his team out against any opponent.

“Otherwise I would have stayed home and watched this tournament on TV,’’ Dudamel joked. “I have never been to the north or Boston, I have only been to Miami. If I didn’t think our team could win, I’d have gone to Disneyland.’’

The winner will face the United States Tuesday in the semifinals.

Dudamel will have one advantage: he has a healthy team. Argentina will be minus midfielder Angel di Maria, who tore an adductor against Panama. He was replaced by Erik Lamela, though Nicolas Gaitan could take his place going forward.

Martino said he wasn’t sure about the lineup yet but said that “there will be some changes and it won’t be the same team.’’

One change could come at striker, where Gonzalo Higuaín started in Argentina’s first two group stage matches but did not score. Against Chile and Panama, he was replaced off the bench by Sergio Aguero, who scored against Panama. He then started against Bolivia.

Martino said his team will stick with its usual 4-3-3 alignment despite the shifting lineups, but he could tweak the spacing within the formation to change its shape. He acknowledged that with all the injuries and changes, he was still trying things out.

“When we win the game that proves us right, when we lost, it’s different,’’ he said.

Argentina is looking for new hardware after losing in the finals of last year’s Copa America (to Chile) and the 2014 World Cup (to Germany).

Even so, Dudamel said he was excited, not intimidated, that his team will face Messi and top-ranked Argentina. Messi needs just one goal to tie Gabriel Batistuta’s national record of 54.

“If Messi is going to play, it’s going to be a great show,’’ Dudamel said. “The important thing is for us to work well as a team, keeping in mind of course the great players that Argentina has.’’

“How can that not inspire you if you’re facing one of the best players in the world,’’ added the coach.

“For many, he’s the best player in the world. That inspires you because the players are competitive. They get to be on the national team because they’re competitive. They understand the game, they know, they rise up to the challenge.’’

Dudamel did not reveal his lineup for the game. He said he didn’t change anything about his preparation for the match because of the opponent.

The keys against Argentina, he said, would be ball handling and not playing a “predictable’’ game. But he was sure his team was “convinced that we can do it.’’

A win would send Venezuela to the Copa America semifinals for just the second time in program history. For that to come against Argentina would amount to an historic victory. Dudamel, however, is not concerned with history, at least for now.

“Let’s play the game tomorrow and then the day after we’ll read the newspapers and we’ll see the repercussions,’’ Dudamel said.

Nora Princiotti can be reached at nora.princiotti@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter at @NoraPrinciotti.