Argentina will be among the favorites yet again but can Leo Messi break his International duck this time round? Argentina were the finalists in 2014 as they were undone by a late Mario Gotze winner. It was heartbreak for Messi and the entire nation, as Argentina went on to lose two more International finals in the next two years.

Argentina are known to have quality attackers and it is no different this time too. Their attack looks scary with the likes of Manchester City star Sergio Aguero, Juventus Duo Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala, and their captain marvel Lionel Messi. Though there midfield looks bleak, they still have the ever reliable Javier Mascherano, PSG youngster Giovani Lo Celso and Lucas Biglia. In defence, they have PL winner Nicolas Otamendi, CL semi-finalist Federico Fazio and Gabriel Mercado to add stability. Their first choice goalkeeper Sergio Romero has been ruled out and this could be their undoing as Franco Armani is set to start between the sticks.

Argentina is in Group D alongside Luka Modric’s Croatia, Nigeria and giant-killers Iceland. Though Argentina is expected to top the group, they will have a tough time doing that against a resilient Nigerian side and a very strong Croatian team which has the likes of Ivan Rakitic and Ivan Perisic. If they top the group, they may end up facing a strong Denmark side in the Round of 16 and the 2010 winners Spain in the quarter-finals, who beat them 6-1 just a few months ago.

With Messi on their side, no one will be surprised if Argentina go on to win the World Cup but their over-dependence on Messi cannot be ignored. The magician scored a hat-trick against Ecuador to take Argentina to the World Cup and Argentine fans will be hoping for more of the same. The key for Argentina will be to hold their nerves on the big stage, which they haven’t been able to do in the past.

23-man final squad

Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero (Manchester United), Wilfredo Caballero (Chelsea), Franco Armani (River Plate).

Defenders: Gabriel Mercado (Sevilla), Cristian Ansaldi (Torino), Nicolas Otamendi (Manchester City), Federico Fazio (Roma), Marcos Rojo (Manchester United), Nicolas Tagliafico (Ajax), Marcos Acuna (Sporting Lisbon).

Midfielders: Javier Mascherano (Hebei China Fortune), Eduardo Salvio (Benfica), Lucas Biglia (AC Milan), Giovani Lo Celso (Paris Saint-Germain), Ever Banega (Sevilla), Manuel Lanzini (West Ham), Maximiliano Meza (Independiente), Angel di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain), Cristian Pavon (Boca Juniors).

Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Paulo Dybala (Juventus), Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Key Players 

Lionel Messi, Barcelona 

Argentina’s captain and arguably the greatest player of all time, Lionel Messi will once again be key. He carried Argentina single-handedly through the group stages and has been in great form throughout the season helping Barcelona win yet another domestic double.

He is likely to play on the right-wing along with Angel Di Maria and Sergio Aguero expected to be the other forwards to start. These three can destroy any defence within seconds and expect them to score plenty of goals in the World Cup.

Nicolas Otamendi, Manchester City  

Otamendi is another Argentina player who has been in great form as he won the Premier League with Manchester City. He was the leader of Man City’s defence as captain Vincent Kompany was injured for more than half the season.

Otamendi will be given the responsibility to lead Argentina’s shaky defence, just like he did with Man City. He will be crucial to Argentina’s success because if he is out of form, a repeat of the 6-1 defeat against Spain could happen anytime.

Javier Mascherano, Hebei China Fortune

Mascherano is 34 now and no longer the player he used to be, but he still packs a punch with his feisty tackles. He was offloaded to China in the winter market by Barcelona as he was deemed surplus to their requirements.

He will be the leader of an unreliable midfield to provide the much needed experience and stability.  He was crucial in 2014 and fans still remember his last minute tackle against Arjen Robben in the semi-final and will be hoping for more of the same.

Surprise Package

Paulo Dybala, Juventus

The 24-year old Juventus star will be playing in his first World Cup and a lot is expected from him. He has been outstanding for the past two seasons leading the Juventus attack along with compatriot Gonzalo Higuain.

Unfortunately for Dybala, he plays at the same position as Messi and is not expected to start. He will come off the bench in most of the matches and will be hoping to become World Cup’s super-sub.