Argentina vs. Croatia
- When: Thursday 21 June
- Kick-off time: 7pm
- Where: Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
- TV channel: live on BBC One
Sergio Aguero scored against Iceland but star player Lionel Messi then missed a penalty, so Messi and his Argentina teammates will be looking to “finally join the party” in Russia, says The Sun.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The BBC reports that Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli could change his formation for the clash against the group D leaders. Sampaoli chose a 4-2-3-1 formation against Iceland but could revert to a 3-4-3.
Boca Juniors winger Cristian Pavon is in line for his first competitive start and Gabriel Mercado and Marcos Acuna could also be recalled.
Croatia will be without Nikola Kalinic for the rest of the World Cup after the striker refused to come on as a substitute during the 2-0 win against Nigeria. Kalinic was sent home by Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic.
Fifa.com reporter Vjekoslav Paun believes Dalic will make changes for the Argentina clash. Paun writes: “After deploying four midfielders against the Nigerians, he is considering whether to field fewer against the Argentinians or to put the emphasis on keeping possession by sending out more creative players.
“The ‘Vatreni’ are unlikely, however, to adopt the same defensive strategy pursued by Iceland. Time will tell what approach Dalic decides to take.”
Nigeria take on Iceland in the other group D match on 22 June.
Argentina vs. Croatia predicted starting XIs
How the teams could line up at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, according to Fifa.com:
- Argentina (3-4-3): Willy Caballero; Gabriel Mercado, Nicolas Otamendi, Nicolas Tagliafico; Eduardo Salvio, Javier Mascherano, Maximiliano Meza, Marcos Acuna; Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Cristian Pavon
- Croatia (4-2-3-1): Danijel Subasic; Sime Vrsaljko, Dejan Lovren, Domagoj Vida, Ivan Strinic; Ivan Rakitic, Milan Badelj; Marcelo Brozovic, Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic; Mario Mandzukic
Group D results, fixtures and live TV channels
- Argentina 1 Iceland 1
- Croatia 2 Nigeria 0
- 21 June: Argentina vs. Croatia (7pm, BBC)
- 22 June: Nigeria vs. Iceland (4pm, BBC)
- 26 June: Iceland vs. Croatia (7pm, BBC); Argentina vs. Nigeria (7pm, BBC)
-
August 23 editorial cartoonsCartoons Saturday's political cartoons include deficit dimness, steamroller-in-chief, and more
-
5 museum-grade cartoons about Trump's Smithsonian purgeCartoons Artists take on institutional rebranding, exhibit interpretation, and more
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
A tale of ‘two World Cups’: Messi, Mbappé and ‘money well spent’ for Qatarfeature Amid sportswashing and human rights concerns, Qatar 2022 ended with the perfect final
-
2022 World Cup final: Argentina vs. France prediction, preview, team newsfeature Mbappé and Messi will go for glory, the golden boot, golden ball, and PSG bragging rights
-
2022 World Cup final: Lionel Messi’s last chance to emulate Diego MaradonaTalking Point Argentina captain is one win away from achieving the ultimate dream
-
Lionel Messi’s World Cup dream: it really is ‘now or never’ for Argentina’s captainfeature After lifting the Copa América in 2021, can he finally add a World Cup winners’ medal to his trophy cabinet?
-
Mason Greenwood: footballer arrested on suspicion of rape and assaultSpeed Read Man Utd confirm the striker will not train or play until further notice
-
Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi: how their stats compare on goals, career stats and awardsIn Depth Portugal star scores 900th career goal but both are facing the challenges of passing time
-
Handball: swapping bikini bottoms for tight pantsSpeed Read Women competitors will be required to ‘wear short tight pants with a close fit’
-
Cristiano Ronaldo’s second comingSpeed Read Last week, Manchester United re-signed the forward on a two-year deal thought to be worth more than £400,000 a week
