Argentina vs Italy
Lionel Messi and Co. have only one thing in mind when they travel to Russia this June.
After all the heartaches of never winning a major final for Argentina and the heartbreak of the 2014 World Cup, Messi knows this year is his last chance to bring the trophy that has long eluded him—the only title that separates him from football immortality in his home country.
And when they meet Italy this week to start a series of friendly football games, they will look to show sports betting fans that they are ready to command the betting odds and win it all.
Coach Jorge Sampaoli will field a strong squad against the Azzurri as he hopes to build chemistry on a team that struggled in the early part of the qualifiers—a difficult time for La Albiceleste to the extent that there were even questions if they can make it to Russia 2018.
Messi headlines the team which also features Juventus star Gonzalo Higuain, Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi, Paris Saint-Germain’s Angel Di Maria, Manchester United’s Marcos Rojo and former Barca star Javier Mascherano.
There are notable omissions to the lineup such as Serie A players Paulo Dybala and Mauro Icardi, but it’s clear Sampaoli aimed for a well-balanced team after seeing his side bow down to Nigeria 4-2 in a friendly last November.
The Argentines face an Italian team that is more than determined to prove their worth after falling to Sweden in the play-offs—a result that put an end to Italy’s over half a century of appearance on the big stage.
The Azzurri aren’t favoured to win this affair, at odds of 1X2 @ 3.70 compared to Argentina’s 1X2 @ 2.00. However, the team is about building up for the future now and will be raring to showcase everything they got.
Gianluigi Buffon even came out of retirement for one last stretch with the team, not only to have a better ending to his international career but also to guide the future generation of Italian football.
Indeed, this match is the perfect game for Argentina to test their abilities against a perennial powerhouse that, though unlucky, has a lot of talent and quality.
Both teams will play their hearts out; but Messi and Argentina know they have no other choice but to win, win and win.
The World Cup 2018, probably their last shot at the title in the Messi era, is about to start, after all.
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
