World Cup 2018: Argentina vs Croatia - 5 players to watch out for

In one of the most exciting group stage fixtures of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Argentina will take on Croatia in their Group D match at the Nizhny Novgorod stadium. Argentina's draw against Iceland in their opener adds a layer of importance to the game as well, as anything other than a win here will bring up serious consequences.

A loss or draw here will not drop Argentina out of the tournament, but it will deal a blow to their status as one of the favourites and complicate their round of 16 draw. If Argentina finish second, they are most likely to face France in the next round, and they surely do not want that.

While the eyes of the world will be clearly on Lionel Messi ahead of this clash, there are several other important players who can have a huge impact on the game. Here's a look at 5 stars to watch out for in this game:

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#5 Nicolas Otamendi - Argentina

Nicolas Otamendi needs to be at his best if Argentina are to survive this ordeal

After a brilliant season with Manchester City, Nicolas Otamendi is now one of the most recognised centre-backs in the world. But with the national team, he never seems to be able to bring out that same edge and tenacity.

Against Croatia, he is certain to have his hands full with the task of keeping Mario Mandzukic in check. The Juventus forward is one of the shrewdest players in the air, and that just happens to be one of Otamendi's weaknesses.

With the defence around him being not the most sturdy, and the defensive midfielders in the last game not helping out much in defence, Otamendi will have to do a little too much here. Croatia will look to bypass the Argentine midfield and find the striker with long balls, and a very, very busy night lies ahead for the defender.

How Jorge Sampaoli's system integrates a defender like Otamendi into the squad will decide how far the team goes. Their attack has all the ingredients for success and still fails at times. Their defence, on the other hand, has only one.

#4 Ivan Rakitic - Croatia

All friendships will be forgotten for 90 minutes

Lionel Messi's Barcelona teammate, Ivan Rakitic will not be as happy to share the field with him this time around. Barcelona fans' consensus on Rakitic is divisive for the most part, but with Croatia, he is as good as they come.

With the quality around him, Rakitic becomes even more attacking than he is with Barcelona and has a knack of popping up in the opposition box. Further, he is not the kind of player that will shy away from any challenge whatsoever.

One of those players who can switch seamlessly between offence and defence depending upon what the manager asks of them, Rakitic is likely to play a bit more defensive than Luka Modric.

In the game against Nigeria, he was employed in a more defensive role, but against Argentina, there is a chance that Croatia will employ a 4-3-3 formation to take advantage of Argentina's defence.

#3 Sergio Aguero - Argentina

Sergio Aguero's clinical finishing was the only bright spot against Iceland

Scorer of Argentina's only goal against Iceland, and glad to have scored his first goal in the World Cup, Aguero will be coming into this game with a lot more confidence. His duties on the international stage have mostly been minimal, but under Sampaoli, there is no doubt that he is their main target man.

Therein lies the problem. Aguero is too short to be the focal point of crosses, and against the taller Iceland defence, that tactic was as effective as Argentina's defence. Against Croatia however, Sampaoli will look to use a different tactic.

Under repeated statements from Paulo Dybala that he can play along with Messi, will we see him and Messi together? If that is the case, Aguero's role in this game will become that much easier and that much more important.

Aguero's quality has never been a question over the years, but his ability to stay fit has always been one. If Aguero can keep his head down here and remain fully fit, there is a good chance that he becomes the player to relieve some pressure off of Messi.

#2 Luka Modric - Croatia

The Croatian captain has started the tournament in excellent form

The Croatian captain is one of the best midfielders in modern football, but on the international stage, things have never panned out quite right. The golden generation of Croats is slowly coming to pass, and this is his last chance to make that dent.

Argentina's midfield is at their weakest, while the Croatian midfield is one of the strongest in the tournament. If Sampaoli does not play his cards right, and Croatia do, this contest will be over even before it begins, with Modric taking the role of wrecker-in-charge.

He was employed as a central midfielder against Nigeria, but he was a more of a false No.10 for the team and scored against Nigeria. Against Argentina, his long balls will be all the more important.

While his defensive work-rate is not as necessary as it is at Real Madrid, Modric still likes to drop back to marshall the troops. If Messi does find his game, he might have to do that a lot more and thus lose a little sting in the attack. Expect him to make a huge difference though.

#1 Lionel Messi - Argentina

This could be the most important tie for Argentina

A missed penalty, 11 shots without a goal and a generally lacklustre game from Messi was enough for the Argentina fans to raise their pitchforks against him, and go back to calling Maradona their greatest player.

Anything that is not his best game here will only infuriate them further. After dragging the team to the World Cup finals, it is once again time for Messi to step into those familiar boots and this time there is barely any scope for error.

His game against Iceland was not his worst, but at the same time, it was not characteristically impactful. Against a more attack-minded Croatia team, things might be suited a lot more to his liking. His role as the No.10 will have to suffice for the time being, unless Dybala plays and Messi moves to the right, at the expense of Maximiliano Meza.

Messi might also have to drop in and help out in midfield a lot more than he would like because otherwise, the Croats will run riot against the ageing Javier Mascherano and a mostly clueless Lucas Biglia. Or will Sampaoli come to his senses and finally give us the team we deserve to see?

Playing Giovani Lo Celso will largely free up Messi, and as he has shown repeatedly over the years, his finishing is one of the best in the world. If Argentina can provide him with that freedom, we might finally see them as the contenders they were expected to be.