Argentina is on the verge of an embarrassing early exit from the World Cup after back-to-back winless ventures in Russia. It’s not yet the end of the world for them, however, as they can still advance to the knockout stages with a win over Nigeria this Tuesday and provided that Iceland won’t upset group leader Croatia in the other match. Will Argentina accomplish their immediate mission? Or will Nigeria trip Lionel Messi and company up to secure their spot in the next round?
After going down 2-0 in the opener at the hands of Croatia, Nigeria bounced back with a much better outing. Showing resiliency, the Super Eagles trounced Iceland on Friday to the tune of a 2-0 score. Leicester forward Ahmed Musa played the role of the hero in the Iceland match, as he scored both of his team’s goals. Musa is now Nigeria’s all-time leader in World Cup goals with four with a chance to add more against Argentina. For Nigeria, the key would be to avoid letting their confidence getting in the way of their objective. Although Argentina are seemingly circling down the drain, that team still has Lionel Messi, who can single-handedly rescue La Albiceleste from the jaws of an early elimination. Nigeria defeated Argentina in November of last year, 4-2, with Arsenal striker Alex Iwobi finding the back of the net twice.
Betting on Argentina (-220)
La Albiceleste landed in Russia as the heavy favorites to top Group D, but the going has been tougher than what Lionel Messi and company expected it to be thus far in the World Cup. They are surprisingly winless with only a goal scored in their first two games. With their backs against the wall, Argentina will have to dig deep to beat a confident Nigeria side. The last time Argentina were on the field, they were walloped by Croatia in a 3-0 loss. That loss came despite the fact that Argentina had the possession most of the time. Even though they are seemingly in a flux, Argentina are just too talented a squad to fold that easy to Nigeria. For one, Argentina are 4-0 in World Cup matches opposite Nigeria. With a lot on the table and their chance of getting into the next round heavily depending on the result of this match, expect the Argentinians to get it together at least for one game.
