Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
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YET again Scotland won’t be there but, with just a week until the big kick-off, all eyes are now firmly fixed on the World Cup in Russia.
The action starts next Thursday when the hosts take on Saudi Arabia in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.
The Tele’s countdown to the World Cup continues as tonight we look at Group D.
Two-time winners, Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina, are the standout nation in this one but it might just be the competition’s ‘Group of Death’.
Trying not to leave you feeling too left out by the Tartan Army’s absence, we’ll also provide a local link, tenuous or otherwise, to each participating nation.
Claudio Caniggia. At the time they already had Fabian Caballero, Juan Sara and Beto Carranza on their books. Another Argentine, Beto Nevada, had brief spells at Dundee and United.
United greats Dave Narey and Paul Hegarty also battled it out with the great Diego Maradona in a Scotland v Argentina friendly at Hampden back in 1979. Maradona won.
Croatia
They finished third when still a new nation back in 1998 in France but have flattered to deceive at times since.
What they always have is a crop of players talented enough to cause shocks if they hit a run of form and, if they can get out of the group, the Croatians could progress further. Luka Modric. Dragutin Ristic’s name might seem longer than the time he lasted in spells at Dundee and Dundee United but he did make first-team appearances and was born in what is now Croatia.
Although born in Bosnia, one-time non-scoring Dundee United striker Darko Bodul considers himself
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