The second of three games on Saturday sees one of the tournament favourites Argentina locking horns against Iceland.
The South Americans begin their quest to claim a third World Cup title against tournament newcomers Iceland in Moscow. With the side boasting of world class talents such as Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria, the last edition’s runners-up will start the contest as firm favourites. With this tournament likely being Messi’s last, the five-time Ballon D’Or will be desperate to go all the way.
On the other hand, Iceland, marking their first appearance in the World Cup, will be eager to get off to a good start. They made it to the tournament after topping their qualification group ahead of Croatia. Their heroics in last Euro suggest that they have it in them to spring few surprises and they would be desperate to make a mark in this competition too.
Sportzwiki brings you all you need to know ahead of the clash between the two sides.
Venue and time:
Argentina and Iceland will lock horns at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow. The action will begin at 6:30 PM IST.
Players to look out for:
For Argentina, all eyes will be on their talisman Lionel Messi. In all probability, this will be Messi’s last chance to win a World Cup and the Argentine will be eyeing the ultimate prize in the game. He has won it all there is to win at the club level and a World Cup triumph will all but seal his stature as one of the greatest in the history.
He was devastated by Argentina’s loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final. His miseries were further compounded by back-to-back Copa America defeats to Chile in 2015 and 2016. He is yet to win a major international tournament and time is running out for him.
For Iceland, the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Alfred Finnbogason and Johann Berg Gudmundsson will be looking to make their mark.
Where to watch:
The Indians fans will enjoy an extensive coverage of the game. The English coverage will be shown 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.
Squads:
| Position | Argentina players |
| Goalkeepers | Guzman, Armani, Caballero |
| Defenders | Mercado, Tagliafico, Ansaldi, Fazio, Acuna, Mascherano, Rojo, Otamendi, Salvio |
| Midfielders | Biglia, Banega, Di Maria, Meza, Perez, Lo Celso, Pavon |
| Forwards | Messi, Higuain, Aguero, Dybala |
| Position | Iceland players |
| Goalkeepers | Halldorsson, Schram, Runarsson |
| Defenders | Saevarsson, Ingason, R. Sigurdsson, Arnason, Eyjolfsson, Magnusson, A. Skulason |
| Midfielders | Fridjonsson, A. Gudmundsson, J. Gudmundsson, Bjarnason, G. Sigurdsson, O. Skulason, Gunnarsson, Gislason, Hallfredsson, Traustason |
| Forwards | Sigurdarson, Finnbogason, Bodvarsson |
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