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Argentina and Croatia are going to lock horns in a crucial World Cup Group D encounter in Nizhny Novgorod on Thursday night. Argentina are one of the traditional powerhouses of world football as they have won 2 World cups and finished runners up on 3 other occasions.
Croatia too have qualified for every World Cup except the 2010 one since their laudable 3rd place finish in 1998. Moreover, they are in good form as they beat Nigeria 2-0 in their opening match last Saturday.
However things do not look very rosy for Argentina as they have somehow managed to split points with Iceland in their inaugural match.
They struggled a lot to qualify for this World Cup and it took a hat-trick from Lionel Messi in their last qualifying match to help them qualify for the tournament.
Argentina would be a bit ahead on paper before tomorrow’s clash but that theoretical advantage could mean little in a tight, engrossing World Cup match.
Croatia would definitely fancy their chances against the South American giants. Lets take a look at 3 key factors which could determine the fate of the game.
#1 The midfield battle between Luka Modric and Javier Mascherano
Both Modric and Mascherano have been exceptional performers for their respective national sides. Both of them have also earned more than 100 caps for their respective countries.
Modric is currently one of the best central midfielders in the world and remains the engine of the Croatian team. He dictates the pace of the game and pulls the strings from the midfield with his fabulous range of passes.
Mascherano on the other hand is past his prime but remains one of the most reliable players of this Argentine side. He plays as a defensive midfielder for the national team and therefore, the onus would be on him to prevent Modric from holding sway in the midfield.
He has to go for tackles and interceptions to stop the flow of passes from the Croatian Maestro. Mascherano is playing in his 4th World Cup and this is perhaps going to be his last tournament in national colours. Therefore he would like to make his swansong memorable.
#2 Lionel Messi switching to the flanks at intervals
It is undeniably true that Argentina’s fate usually depends on Messi’s performance. The diminutive Argentine is one of the finest players of all times and would like to win the trophy that has eluded him thus far. Still he has to keep in mind that he cannot win the World Cup alone.
In the match against Iceland, Messi was surrounded by 3 or 4 opposition players almost every single time he touched the ball. Croatia are likely to come up with the same tactic against him, and therefore Messi should devise his game-plan accordingly.
He should keep moving to the wings at times to make things difficult for his markers. For example, he could swap positions with left-winger Angel Di Maria occasionally.
By doing that Messi would be able to create some space at the centre of the pitch as the markers would tend to move with him.
Moreover, this would enable the likes of Di Maria to create moves from the midfield. This tactic would also test the defensive organisation of the Croats.
#3 The aerial threat posed by Mario Mandzukic
Mario Mandzukic has earned 84 caps for the Croatian national team and scored 30 goals. This is his third World Cup, and the veteran Juventus midfielder would like to use his size and strength against the Argentine centre-backs.
The tall Mandzukic always poses an aerial threat for the opposition defenders as he has a very good header on him. His diving header led to the opening goal against Nigeria. Nicolas Otamendi and Marcos Rojo the Argentine centre-backs could find him to be very difficult to handle.
The Croatians are likely to play frequent crosses into the Argentine box, especially through their expeditious right back Sime Vrsaljko.
Mandzukic would relish such opportunities and could decide the game with one of his lethal headers. He would be a perennial threat from set-pieces as well.
