Messi’s last shot starts vs. Iceland
The world’s top striker takes on the hipster Vikings.
Lionel Messi takes the field for the first time in this year’s World Cup on Saturday when Argentina opens group play against Iceland (TSN, 9 a.m.), the smallest nation to ever play in the tournament.
The superstar forward goes into what’s almost certainly his last World Cup under enormous pressure to finally win a major international title. Critics believe that void takes him out of the debate as the best player in the game’s history.
Iceland could have strong fan support at Moscow’s Spartak Stadium after its improbable run to the quarterfinals of the 2016 Euro. Iceland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson does not mind being the darling of the tournament in its Cup debut and only second major tournament. Captain Aron Gunnarsson, who sports a long red beard and plays the role of a Viking warrior, leads the slow-building clapping exchange between the team and fans that is Iceland’s trademark and should energize the crowd.
FRANCE VS. AUSTRALIA
TSN, 6 a.m. France will be the big favourite when it plays Australia in a Group C match at Kazan Arena.
France has one of the deepest rosters, but the team has been criticized because some find coach Didier Deschamps’ tactical approach boring. The team is led by Antoine Griezmann, an attacking midfielder who scored 19 goals and had nine assists in 32 Spanish league games last season.
For Australia, striker Tim Cahill is trying to join Pele and former Germany strikers Miroslav Klose and Uwe Seeler as the only players to score at four World Cups.
PERU VS. DENMARK
TSN, noon Peru captain Paolo Guerrero will be the focus in the Group C match at Mordovia Arena in Saransk. The striker was suspended for testing positive for a banned substance and the punishment was going to prevent Peru’s all-time leading scorer from making his World Cup debut. He fought the ban and received support from the captains of France, Denmark and Australia, the three other teams in Group C.
Denmark has not lost a game in 18 months and is led by Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen, who helped the team to six wins and three draws during its final nine qualifiers.
CROATIA VS. NIGERIA TSN, 3 p.m.
The Group D match will be one of the more overlooked games. Played in Kaliningrad, an outpost wedged between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea, it is a challenging site for fans and tickets were still available the day before kickoff.