The 2018 FIFA World Cup has been a great joy to watch ever since it kicked off in Russia this month. The tournament has produced a lot of interesting matches, with Portugal and Spain playing out a classic, and Russia claiming a 3-1 victory against Egypt to secure their passage into the next round. As we approach the concluding parts of the group stage, the focus has now shifted to the Group D, with many football fans waiting patiently to see who will qualify between Nigeria and Argentina. The two nations will face each other today for a spot in the knockout phase of the tournament. Nigeria will be looking forward to continuing their impressive form, after earning a 2-0 victory against Iceland in their previous match.
The Super Eagles have earned 3 points from their 2 matches and a win or a draw in their next encounter could possibly be enough to see them through to the next stage. Argentina, on the other hand, have been mere shadows of themselves in the World Cup this year. The Albiceleste could only earn an embarrassing one point from their 2 games in the group stage.
Jorge Sampaoli’s men will need to claim a victory against Nigeria and hope Iceland do not get a favorable result against Croatia in order to progress to the knockout phase.
While all eyes will be on Lionel Messi and his colleagues to lead Argentina to a famous victory at the Saint Petersburg Stadium, we take a look at 3 reasons why Nigeria could upset the odds and defeat the Albiceleste in the encounter:
3. Current form
Nigeria will be approaching the Argentina game in great form, after defeating World Cup debutants, Iceland in their previous fixture. The Super Eagles have impressed in the tournament, claiming 3 points from 2 matches and sitting in the second position on the Group D table.
Argentina, on the other hand, have been really poor in the World Cup this year, playing a disappointing 1-1 draw against Iceland, and suffering a humiliating 3-0 defeat at the hands of Croatia.
2. Ahmed Musa’s influence
Africa has a lot of incredible football talents and Ahmed Musa proved that to us on Friday. The striker really impressed in Nigeria’s game against Iceland, bagging a fantastic brace to defeat the Europeans and secure all the 3 points for his nation. Following his heroics in the recent fixture, the attacker is already looking forward to a reunion with his old rivals, Lionel Messi and Argentina in a tough match that could decide the qualification race in the Group D.
1. Argentina’s crisis
Argentina’s poor performances have dominated the headlines in the World Cup this year. After reaching the final of the tournament in 2014, the Albiceleste have failed to replicate that performance in the competition this term, producing mediocre displays and falling below the expectations that accompanied them to Russia.
The team has been under great scrutiny since the competition began, with the likes of Jorge Sampaoli, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Javier Mascherano singled out for constant criticisms.
Their recent defeat against Croatia has made things even worse, with the South Americans needing a victory in their last group stage match to stand any chance of progressing to the knockout phase.