Argentina wants to beat Australia and the pressure

Argentina wants to beat Australia and the pressure

The Albiceleste seeks the quarterfinals on the rise and with favoritism over the 'Socceroos'

MADRID, 2 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Argentine team will try to continue their growth in the World Cup in Qatar and sign their pass to the quarterfinals this Saturday (8:00 p.m.) in a duel against Australia, a rival against whom they will have to deal with the pressure of being an absolute favourite.

La Albiceleste has managed to recover from the setback suffered in its World Cup debut and confirmed its ticket to the crosses without excessive suffering after beating Mexico and Poland 2-0 each and showing improvement compared to the surprise defeat against Saudi Arabia that set off alarm bells.

The 'ghosts' appeared on the two-time world champion, who arrived in Qatar on an unbeaten streak of 36 matches and as South American champion, but Lionel Scaloni has managed to redirect the course of a team that managed to avoid a reissue of the 2018 round of 16 where they lost to France and who arrive encouraged for a duel where they are theoretically superior to Australia, who were able to overcome a tough group with the 'Bleus', Denmark and Tunisia and who will try to counteract their rival with their physique.

In fact, at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, the number three in the FIFA ranking, twice world champion and twice runner-up, will face off against 38, one of the worst of the 32 participants and who aspires to make a splash. history that would catapult him for the first time among the eight best in a World Cup.

The 'Socceroos' start off as a propitious victim and their objective will be to try to extend the emotion as much as possible so that from there the favoritism becomes a slab in the form of pressure for the Argentine soccer players, always with a kind of extra pressure, on a whole Leo Messi wanting to finally end the debate with the late Diego Armando Maradona.

The '10' was key against Mexico by unblocking the game with a 1-0 draw, but its impact on the other two games was not as expected, a situation that Argentina has managed to overcome by showing that it has other arguments.

Thus, the entries in the middle of Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister have improved the creation zone, while up top, Julián Álvarez is already fighting for Lautaro Martínez's place. However, both could play together since Scaloni has serious doubts about a key player like Ángel di María, with options for Paulo Dybala and also for a more midfielder profile like Leandro Paredes.

La Albiceleste will surely need patience against an Australia that will close around Mat Ryan and that will have to sign a perfect night without mistakes or free concessions behind and as effective as possible up front where they do not have great arguments to try to surprise a defense that has recovered its solidity .

Graham Arnold's team did not come off well in their other match in this World Cup against another great power like France, who thrashed them 4-1 despite starting to win and where they showed that they still have a way to go to be able to compete one on one with the top. Australia has never defeated Argentina, with whom they met for the first time in the intercontinental play-off for the 1994 World Cup, where they lost 2-1 on aggregate.

ARGENTINA: Emiliano Martinez: Molina, Otamendi, Rosemary, Coin; Mac Allister, Fernandez, De Paul; Messi, Lautaro Martinez and Alvarez.

AUSTRALIA: Ryan; Degenek, Soutter, Rowles, Behich; Irvine, Mooy, McGree; Leckie, Duke y Goodwin.

--ARBITRO: Szymon Marciniak (POL).

--ESTADIO: Ahmad Ben Ali.

--TIME: 20.00/World Goal-Movistar.