Argentina are going to face France in the round of 16 clash on Saturday at Kazan Area in Russia. It was a thrilling story for Argentina in this World Cup so far. They were not sure to be in the knockout stage of the World Cup until the 86th minute of the last Group Stage against Nigeria. Lionel Messi has given his national side the much important lead against Nigeria in the deciding match of the Group Stage. But Victor Moses has equalised for Nigeria after the beginning of the second half as he has successfully converted the penalty kick. At the end Marcos Rojo’s goal at the 86th minute of the match was enough for Argentina to book their date against France in the round of 16 in the World Cup.
If Argentina have to do well in the match against France, they simply have to change their gameplan. Till now, we have seen that this Argentina side are much dependent on Lionel Messi and therefore there is a huge pressure on Messi to deliver. It might be a good thing for the Argentine national side too as the French defenders will be busy in marking the main man of Argentina- Lionel Messi. Therefore, there will be much space for the other players of Argentina to take their chances. Here we will discuss about three Argentina players who could help beating France except Lionel Messi :
1. Angel Di Maria :
Angel Di Maria has a huge experience of playing in the big stage and it will be the last chance for him to prove himself in the World football. This is going to be a big match and the experience of Angel Di Maria will surely help Argentina to keep their nose ahead in the knockout stage match. Angel Di Maria will surely try to test the young defense of France. He will like to cut inside from the right flank and provide good amount of crosses for the attackers of Argentina to have a fair chance to keep pressure on France from the beginning of the match.
2. Ever Banega :
Ever Banega was the unsung hero for Argentina so far in this World Cup. He has played an instrumental role for the Argentine national side against Nigeria. He has provided the long ball towards Lionel Messi who has given his national side the much important lead against Nigeria. Ever Banega has to play a big role against France. On paper the midfield of France are looking stronger than Argentina. But, the role of Ever Banega will surely be neutralising the advantage of France from the beginning of the match.
3. Marcos Rojo :
Marcos Rojo will surely be going to be the X factor for his national side against France in the round of 16 clash. He has scored the winning goal for the Argentine national side against Nigeria in the last group stage match. Now, he has to play an important role in the defense to prevent the attacking threats of France combining of Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud.
