Lionel Messi and the Argentinians begin their 2019 World Cup campaign with a match against heavy underdogs Iceland. Will Argentina take care of business as expected? Or will Iceland make their country proud with a victory?
A lot is expected of Argentina because any team that has a Lionel Messi is always going to be projected to go deep into any tournament. But even without thinking of Messi, La Albiceleste still have the likes of Paulo Dyabala, Sergio Aguero, and Gonzalo Higuian, who are all going to bring massive headaches to their opponents at least in the group stage. These are all hardened veterans who have been in a lot of battles, so they should not be fazed one bit by a team like Iceland, who are massive underdogs in this match. Dyabala is perhaps the most prominent player to watch out for in the Argentina side besides Messi. Dyabala scored 22 goals in Serie A for Juventus.
The Argentinians have won four of their last six matches, including a 4-0 win over Haiti back in May and a 2-0 win over Italy last March.
Betting on Iceland (EVEN Price)
If the World Cup gives grades to bears, Iceland may be the favorites to win it all in Russia. But seriously, despite being the +790 underdogs against Argentina, The Blues-And-Whites may prove to have a stronger bite than what most people expect. For one, Iceland managed to make to as far as the quarterfinals in the Euro 2016. They have Gylfi Sigurdsson is a dangerous attacking midfield who has scored 46 Premier League goals in 209 appearances. He has not played at all since March because of a knee injury, but if he’s ready to go in Russia, then that means he’s ready to contribute as well. He’ll get help from Albert Gudmundsson, a 20-year-old forward who has a chance to shine in Russia after scoring three goals in four games for Iceland.
Iceland was last seen on the field playing Ghana into a 2-2 draw on Jun. 7.
