Idris Adesina

Nigeria face a daunting task against Argentina as they seek to progress to the knockout stages of the 2018 World Cup in a make-or-mar Group D match at the Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg on Tuesday.

After losing their opening match in the group 2-0 to Croatia and beating debutants Iceland 2-0 on Friday, the Super Eagles need to avoid a defeat against two-time champions Argentina to progress to the round of 16

Albiceleste are on the verge of exiting the tournament except they defeat the Eagles and hope that Iceland lose to or draw with Croatia in the other group match. The Argentines have been less than impressive in Russia having drawn 1-1 with Iceland – with Lionel Messi missing a penalty – and losing 3-0 to Croatia in their second match.

Nigeria and Argentina are meeting a fifth time at the World Cup with the Eagles losing all the four previous encounters. The Argentines triumphed 2-1 over Nigeria in 1994, they were 1-0 winners in 2002 and 2010 and beat the Eagles 3-2 in 2014. Hence, the Eagles would be seeking to end a run of consecutive losses to the Albiceleste.

Overall at senior level, Nigeria and Argentina have met eight times – the most recent of which was in a friendly match in Krasnodar, Russia in November 2017. Nigeria have won twice in friendly matches – a 4-1 win in Abuja in 2011 and a 4-2 win last year in Krasnodar. One of the meetings ended in a draw – a goalless draw in the Confederations Cup in 1995 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Argentina have won the rest.

The Eagles will be seeking to capitalise on the current unsettled state and dismal form of the Argentines to nick a first win over them at the World Cup and progress at the expense of the South Americans.

Reports of unrest in the team have surfaced since their 3-0 loss to Croatia with coach Jorge Sampaoli under fire for their current form. The reports have suggested the coach would not be in charge of Tuesday’s match as the players would select the team themselves. But the team would also be wary of the threat posed by Barcelona star Messi and Manchester City record scorer Sergio Aguero.

However, Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr would be banking on the form of two-goal hero – against Iceland – Ahmed Musa and the unity of purpose among his players for a result that would guarantee Nigeria’s fourth appearance in the round of 16. The Eagles have only failed to progress from the group stages on two occasions – 2002 and 2010.

Former Eagles midfielder Friday Ekpo said the Argentines would want to make a statement against Nigeria.

“There are a lot of things at stake in the match. Nigeria – apart from seeking to qualify for the round of 16 – will want end the run of losses to Argentina. But for Argentina, there is pride at stake as they will want to show that they are better than Nigeria at the World Cup,” he said.

“Nigerian teams have a way of bouncing back after defeats but they tend to relax after giving a good performance. The Eagles should see it as their final match at the World Cup because they need it more than the Iceland game.”

source:  http://punchng.com/eagles-face-wounded-argentina-in-make-or-mar-tie/