Argentina will be looking to register their first win of this competition when they take on group leaders Croatia in the third and final game on Thursday.
The 2014 runners-up started their campaign with a disappointing draw against World Cup debutants Iceland. Sergio Aguero’s opener was cancelled out by Alfred Finnbogason as Iceland held on to register a memorable draw. It was a game to forget for Lionel Messi as he missed a penalty and also looked like a pale shadow of his usual self.
Croatia, on the other hand, had better fortunes in their opening fixture. The Europeans cruised past Nigeria with a comfortable 2-0 win to give themselves a real shot at qualifying for the knockouts. They, however, will have their task cut out against Argentina who will be desperate for all the three points.
Sportzwiki brings you all you need to know ahead of the clash between the two sides.
Venue and time:
Argentina and Croatia will lock horns at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. The action will begin at 11:30 PM IST on Thursday.
Players to look out for:
Messi will be desperate to leave a mark in this game after the forgettable outing against Iceland. With this being possibly his last World Cup, Messi will have to play a huge role if he is eyeing his first major international trophy. The eyes will be also on Eduardo Salvio. The Benfica winger had covered ground more than anyone while in possession against Iceland. Argentina will rely on him heavily to provide quality balls in the last third.
From Croatia, the man to look out for will be Andrej Kramaric. He played as a No. 10 against Nigeria, behind Mario Mandzukic, and it could prove a key position against Argentina if Dalic keeps the same system. Croatia will expect him not only to provide attacking support to Mandzukic but also add an extra presence in midfield to keep Messi as far from the ball as possible.
Where to watch:
The Indian fans will enjoy extensive coverage of the game. The English coverage will get telecast on SONY TEN 2 SD and HD channels.
The Hindi feed will be aired on SONY TEN 3 SD and HD channels. Bengali and Malayali feed will be available on SONY ESPN SD channel.
Possible line-ups:
Argentina:
Willy Caballero; Eduardo Salvio, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Rojo, Nicolas Tagliafico; Maximiliano Meza, Javier Mascherano; Lucas Biglia, Lionel Messi, Cristian Pavon; Sergio Aguero.
Croatia:
Danijel Subasic; Sime Vrsaljko, Dejan Lovren, Domagoj Vida, Ivan Strinic; Ivan Rakitic, Luka Modric; Ante Rebic, Andrej Kramaric, Ivan Perisic; Mario Mandzukic.
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