After holding off African champions Nigeria in dull draw, Asian representatives Iran will be hoping for some miracles when they take on Lionel Messi and his high flying Argentina in a Group F clash tonight.
After holding off African champions Nigeria in dull draw, Asian representatives Iran will be hoping for some miracles when they take on Lionel Messi and his high flying Argentina in a Group F clash tonight.
South American side Argentina will be looking to seal their place in the knockout stages of the World Cup with a match to spare when Lionel Messi and his teammates look to diminish the threat from the defensive-minded Iranians. Coach Carlos Querioz will look to make life difficult for one of the tournament favourites, as they did for Nigeria in a gritty 0-0 draw but Messi’s superb winner against Bosnia-Herzegovina was a reminder why he has been voted world player of the year four times.
Besides Messi, Argentina’s attacking threat also contains the likes of Gonazlo Higuain, Angel di Maria, Eqezuiel Lavezzi and Javier Pastore. The two teams have met once before, a 1-1 draw in a friendly way back in 1977 but the recent meeting suggests that the South American side has an upper hand going into this vital contest.
Iran coach Queiroz, though, will take heart from his side’s impressive defensive display in the 0-0 against Nigeria where they restricted their opponents to few opportunities despite the Africans bossing possession. The terrifying Argentine forward line of Sergio Aguero, Messi and Higuain are unlikely to be kept so quiet.
