Nigeria VS Argentina Preview: Advance or go home? Messi's final redemption

At 02:00 on June 27th, Beijing time, in the last round of Group D of the World Cup, Argentina fought against Nigeria. If Argentina, which has only accumulated 1 point from two games, wants to qualify, winning is the only option. Nigeria holds 3 points and takes the initiative to qualify, so naturally it is not willing to be the wedding dress. Nigeria is Argentina's favorite opponent, and Messi has always been the key player. In this campaign, Messi is optimistic about leading Argentina's counterattack.

1. In a chaotic group, everyone has a chance to qualify

The qualifying situation in Group D is a bit chaotic. Only Croatia, which has won two games and accumulated 6 points, has qualified, but it cannot Guaranteed to be top of the group. Nigeria defeated Iceland in the last round. With 3 points in hand, they took the initiative to qualify. Iceland and Argentina, both with 1 point, are also likely to qualify.

The final matches of the group are Croatia vs. Iceland and Nigeria vs. Argentina. If Nigeria can defeat Argentina, it will definitely qualify and even hope to compete for first place in the group. If Argentina wants to qualify, they must first defeat Nigeria, and they must hope that Iceland cannot beat Croatia in another game, otherwise the goal difference will make them watch Iceland and Croatia join hands to qualify.

2. After 4 consecutive kills against Nigeria in the World Cup, Argentina is confident of winning

From a strength perspective, Argentina has an absolute advantage over Nigeria. The two teams have met 7 times in history, with Argentina having the upper hand with 5 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. And Nigeria is definitely a special opponent for Argentina. Since Nigeria participated in the World Cup for the first time in 1994, it has met Argentina four times in the past five World Cups. This is the fifth time. The Pampas Eagles have won against Nigeria in the past four World Cups, scoring 7 goals and conceding 3 goals.

Although they all won, it was not easy for Argentina to win every game against Nigeria. 2-1 in 1994, 1-0 in 2002, 1-0 in 2010, and 3-2 in 2014. Every game was narrowly won by one goal, which shows that Nigeria's strength cannot be underestimated. Now we meet again, and a battle will determine who can qualify and who can stand out?

3. Messi’s final redemption, Sampaoli’s last gamble

As the current "king of the ball", Messi's performance in the first two games was disappointing and he also missed a crucial penalty kick. Now facing his old rival Nigeria is his last chance. Messi has just celebrated his 31st birthday. On the training ground, Messi is very relaxed. He is born for big scenes and is expected to explode in this campaign.

Argentina’s performance was dismal, and coach Sampaoli, who had good cards but failed to play well, became the target of public criticism, and various rumors surfaced. But Sampaoli was not sacked after the cracks in the team. He still has the rights of head coach, and the final game against Nigeria will be a big gamble for him.