Lionel Messi kicks off his quest for World Cup glory with a matchup against the Nordic debutants Iceland.
Argentina is unbeaten in group-stage play in their past three World Cup appearances, compiling an impressive 8-1-0 record since Germany 2006. That bodes well for La Albiceleste’s chances of taking down Iceland. Jorge Sampaoli’ team is in desperate need for some positivity as things haven’t been going their way during preparations. First, their last pre-World Cup friendly against Israel was cancelled due to player threats and then they lost Manuel Lanzini, the only midfielder on the roster who could connect the back and front lines. That’s all after an excruciating qualification campaign that had Messi save his nation from humiliation with a hat-trick in the last game at Ecuador.
Everything revolves around the Barcelona superstar when it comes to Argentina. This is the only trophy missing from his collection, a trophy that’s required by most experts in order to place him next to Pele and Maradona on the best football players ever list. Sampaoli himself has admitted that this is Messi’s team. The question is whether the supporting cast is capable enough to help him.
Iceland was the story of Euro 2016, where it reached the quarter-finals in its first ever appearance that included the elimination of England in the Round of 16 and some goose-bumps moments created by its fans’ Viking chants. The 335.000 population nation is the smallest one to have ever qualified for a World Cup. By that standard, it fits the role of an underdog perfectly. However, the Icelanders are from that. Croatia and Ukraine were biting their dust, as Gylfi Sigurdsson and his teammates finished ahead of their rivals in order to qualify for this cup.
Sigurdsson himself, missed a large part of Everton’s campaign with a knee injury and for a long time was not expected to recuperate in time for the 2018 World Cup. He has done a great job recovering and will be the leader once again, alongside Burnley’s Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson. The team’s recent form has left a lot to be desired. Iceland’s defence, which was its strength during that Euro 2016 run, has been unusually susceptible. Mexico, Peru, Norway and Ghana all managed to score at least twice in its last four friendlies (3 losses and 1 draw).
One advantage Iceland has is height. They’re the tallest team in the competition, compared to Argentina, who’s one of the smallest. Sampaoli and his players are well aware of the disadvantage and have been training to negate it.
“Over the past week, we have been working on specific issues like set pieces,” – Nahuel Guzman (backup goalkeepers).
We’ll see whether it works. Argentina’s attackers should feast on Iceland’s defensive frailty, but Chelsea’s Wily Caballero remains cautious:
“As it is the first game of the World Cup, it is difficult to start playing at the best level.”
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