Argentina v Croatia: Senior Argentine stars must step up

A look ahead to the big clash

Argentina and Croatia clash in the second round of fixtures in Group D at the Kaliningrad Stadium on Thursday.

It’s arguably a clash of the two strongest teams of the four teams in this pool. And a lot rides on the result. Neither side can really afford to lose.

And the Coral News Team look ahead to the fixture and a handful of important subplots…

Messi needs a bit of help

Everyone knows this Argentina squad doesn’t have the overall quality of previous tournaments. But the abject nature of their attacking performance against Iceland was surprising.

Yes, Lionel Messi missed a penalty that could have sealed the three points. But the Argentine XI – more often than not – abdicated responsibility.

It’s being reported that La Albiceleste head coach Jorge Sampaoli has seen enough and will ring the changes against Croatia. Expect Marcos Acuna, Enzo Perez, Cristian Pavon and Gabriel Mercado to come into the side.

Is Messi feeling the pressure?

Argentina’s hopes rest on Messi’s shoulders in the same way Portugal’s do with Cristiano Ronaldo.

And although the Coral News Team are loath to make the comparison, it’s apparent that Ronaldo handles that pressure much better.

In fact, he thrives on it whereas Messi looks like he feels compressed by it. Not all the time, obviously. But in games against Iceland, you can nearly see the Barca ace trying too hard to do it all.

Previous meetings