After Israel visit scrapped, Argentina turns focus to lifting World Cup again

Argentina players will do everything in their power in Russia to help the team lift the World Cup trophy again after falling at the last hurdle four years ago in Brazil, defender Marcos Rojo said after the side’s friendly with Israel was canceled at the last minute this week.

The 28-year-old Manchester United center-back, capped 56 times by Argentina, and his teammates suffered a last-gasp 1-0 defeat to Germany in the 2014 final.

“It’s a really important thing and a big deal for any Argentinean to wear that shirt,” Rojo told United’s website. “We really feel the shirt a lot and we defend our colors. We give everything when we are wearing it and we want payback for the way things happened at the last World Cup.

“We will do everything to give our fans the possibility to celebrate winning the trophy again.”

Rojo will face Nigeria in the World Cup group stage, a team he scored his first international goal against in the 2014 World Cup.

Croatia and Iceland are Argentina’s other two opponents in Group D and Rojo feels that progress in the tournament would depend on Lionel Messi’s goal-scoring abilities.

“It’s Nigeria again!” he said. “I think it’s three or four times now we’ve been drawn with Nigeria and it will be a difficult group. Croatia and Iceland are in there too.

“Hopefully, Lionel Messi will be in form and can do something for us.”

The match against Israel was supposed to be the Argentine’s final warm-up match before heading to Russia, but the political pressure grew ahead of Saturday’s scheduled fixture in Jerusalem causing the visiting side to pull out.

Argentina will kick off its World Cup campaign in Russia against Iceland on June 16. It enters the tournament as one of the most successful national soccer teams in the world, having won 2 World Cups, in 1978 and 1986, and finishing as the runner-up three times, in 1930, 1990 and 2014.

England to rotate squad against Costa Rica

Meanwhile, England will ring the changes for Thursday’s friendly against Costa Rica in Leeds with manager Gareth Southgate warning against complacency and keen to give his entire squad playing time before the World Cup.

England beat Nigeria 2-1 at Wembley on Saturday and will face a tricky test against fellow-qualifier Costa Rica, which reached the quarterfinals four years ago in Brazil.

One change to his side that Southgate confirmed on Wednesday is that Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland will start ahead of Everton’s Jordan Pickford, who has been handed the number one shirt.

“For sure Jack Butland plays in goal,” Southgate said. “We will make a lot of changes and Trent Alexander-Arnold will get a debut. One of the keys of us getting through these two matches was to try and make sure every member of our squad gets... game time.

“You want to know who is in form and any time a player has 10 minutes or 90 minutes on the field they have an opportunity to make a statement in the way they play,” he added.

While England’s World Cup lineup has begun to take shape in Southgate’s mind, he said there remained some openings for players who can make an impression.

“There are definitely places up for grabs for the first game of the tournament,” he said. “There are a couple of places that always as a manager you are looking at who your better players are, but then form and physical condition means it always evolves, a football team is a moving, living beast.

“Everyone has to stay on their toes all the time, there is no room for complacency in training or slipping of standards. I am not sitting two weeks before a game and saying ‘That’s it, you’re comfortable as you’re in’,” he said.

Southgate was asked at the news conference whether he would have any hesitation in starting 19-year-old, uncapped Liverpool right back Alexander-Arnold in the opening game against Tunisia and said he had faith in the youngster.

“No, that’s why he’s here. I’ve not got a player in the squad who I would think twice about putting into the opening game of the World Cup.

“He’s here on merit. He’s performed exceptionally well this season and has settled into the group really well.”

(Reuters)