Group D (Argentina, Croatia, Iceland, Nigeria)

roonster09

FA Cup Predictions 2023/2024 winner
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Probably Messi's and Modric's last world cup.

Argentina:

GK: Nahuel Guzmán, Willy Caballero, Franco Armani

DEF: Gabriel Mercado, Nicolás Otamendi, Javier Mascherano, Federico Fazio, Marcos Rojo, Nicolás Tagliafico, Marcos Acuña, Cristian Ansaldi

MID: Manuel Lanzini, Eduardo Salvio, Maximiliano Meza, Lucas Biglia, Éver Banega, Giovani Lo Celso, Ángel Di María, Cristian Pavón

FOR: Paulo Dybala, Lionel Messi, Sergio Agüero, Gonzalo Higuaín​

Croatia (24-man squad):

GK: Danijel Subašić, Lovre Kalinić, Dominik Livakovi

DEF: Vedran Ćorluka, Domagoj Vida, Ivan Strinić, Dejan Lovren, Šime Vrsaljko, Tin Jedvaj, Matej Mitrović, Duje Ćaleta-Car

MID: Luka Modrić, Ivan Rakitić, Mateo Kovačić, Milan Badelj, Marcelo Brozović, Filip Bradarić

FOR: Mario Mandžukić, Ivan Peršić, Nikola Kalinić, Andrej Kramarić, Marko Pjaca, Ante Rebić​

Iceland:

GK: Hannes Þór Halldórsson, Frederik Schram, Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson

DEF: Birkir Már Sævarsson, Ragnar Sigurðsson, Kári Árnason, Sverrir Ingi Ingason, Hörður Björgvin Magnússon, Samúel Kári Friðjónsson, Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson, Ari Freyr Skúlason

MID: Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson, Gylfi Þór Sigurðsson, Aron Einar Gunnarsson, Birkir Bjarnason, Emil Hallfreðsson, Ólafur Ingi Skúlason, Rúrik Gíslason, Arnór Ingvi Traustason

FOR: Alfreð Finnbogason, Albert Guðmundsson, Björn Bergmann Sigurðarson, Jón Daði Böðvarsson​

Nigeria (Still 30):
 
Last edited:
adexkola said:
How old is Messi? He should still be in good shape for 2022.

Argentina and Nigeria going through would do nicely.
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Messi will be 31next month. But hes so good that even an inferior version in 2022 can be effective playing in a free role behind the striker.
 
Croatia will balls it up somehow after looking great for a game.
 
Lay said:
Croatia will balls it up somehow after looking great for a game.
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Unfortunately it will probably happen like that. We have players to come out of that group at least if not more.
 
Last chance for this generation to do something big, what they failed to do so far. Players from juve, real, barca, milan, inter, atletico must aim higher than first round of knockout phase. Above average but solid defence, good attack , "best midfield in the world".
We will easily go in knockout phase but if we finish second, we go on france. In general, i am optimist. We look fantastic on paper, we can beat anybody but of course we are not strong as 5 or 6 biggest favourites for title.

Subasic
Vrsaljko Corluka Vida Strinic
Rakitic kovacic( badelj)
Modric
Pjaca Mandzukic Perisic
 
I'm fairy confident we'll beat both Nigeria and Iceland but draw against Argentina, purely because Messi alone cancels everything we have over them and that's midfield. in ideal scenario, 3-1 victory over Nigeria, draw against Argentina and 2 or 3-0 against Iceland could probably qualify us as group winners on goal difference, given that I'm pretty sure Argentina will also beat Nigeria and Iceland. but, they struggle with scoring and they conceded a couple of goals in their last WC group so I'm hoping it'll be the same this time.

obviously, Argentina could just beat us and every other team in group with ease and send us to France most likely :annoyed:
 
This group is quite tough. Iceland and Nigeria are no pushovers and Croatia has some world-class players in their squad.
 
I have a funny feeling Argentina will crash out at group stage.
 
Iceland vs Nigeria should be an awesome game. Can't wait for that one. Croatia is basically Modric and Rakitic (solid team overall but they are the difference makers). I guess Iceland qualify due to their superb organization.
 
Like others on here, I feel Argentina will crash out short of a miraculous Messi. All the other teams will cause them problems, Iceland with their size will be very interesting to see. Nigeria has already shown they can be a danger to them. Croatia can beat any team on their day.
 
VorZakone said:
Romero
Mercado - Otamendi - Fazio - Rojo
Biglia - Banega - Di Maria
Messi
Higuain - Dybala
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Cheers. Rojo really never played well at LB for us. Vital di Maria can provide width effectively down that side. Not sure what Mercado is like, on the face of it that looks quite narrow.

No chance Aguero starts over Dybala?
 
soap said:
Cheers. Rojo really never played well at LB for us. Vital di Maria can provide width effectively down that side. Not sure what Mercado is like, on the face of it that looks quite narrow.

No chance Aguero starts over Dybala?
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I guess Sampaoli will play another midfielder instead of Dybala.
 
I think Sampaoli will go with something like this:

Romero

Mercado - Otamendi - Fazio - Tagliafico

Lanzini - Biglia - Banega - Di María

Messi

Agüero (Higuaín, if Kun can't recover from his injury)


If Messi manages to take this lot to the quarters it's a freakin' miracle...
Thankfully his mere presence on the pitch makes the defense/centre mid look much better than it is, as the opponents, at least in the group stage, will hold a lot of players back in fear of Messi with space ahead of him.
Even though he is young and has never played for the NT, Ascacibar should not only have been in the squad but a sure starter IMO.
 
pregra said:
He is shit at pretty much everything except passing the ball backwards 5 yards.
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Haven't got the chance to watch Milan too much this season but they went out of their way to buy him. If he's not that good then Argentina will have to rely on Di Maria to support Messi again...problem is, although Angel has performed well In Copa Americas he has gone missing in WC's. Seems like Messi has been suffering with weak midfields in Argentina ever since his debut, his best period of support was when Riquelme was still being called up
 
As I said before last World Cup and Euro, Croatia looks good on paper, but the reality is something else. The atmosphere was never worse, Croatian FA chairman/crime boss is on trial, Modrić and Lovren were caught lying on witness stand so they now face perjury charges, so basically, it's a shitstorm.

Bunch of criminals, feck em. I'm supporting Island.
 
Unless Argentina have something magical up their sleeves, it's probably going to be a counter attacking, "let's try to pinch 1-0s" approach, because that isn't an entirely impressive squad, compared to what Brazil, Germany and Spain are bringing.
 
Having Dybala on the bench at a World Cup should be a crime. If the reason he doesn't start is because him and Messi can't play together then given Messi will never get subbed off will Dybala even get on the pitch at all?
 
I can see why some are doubting the Argies as apart from the strikers, they look pretty suspect in some areas. However, i fancy them to go 9/9pts in the group. That being said, the other games are brilliant, it's a proper group of death for me. Gun to head, I would say Croatia will sneak through but it won't be easy. A few of my mates have been calling Nigeria a dark horse, but I'm struggling to think of anyone decent who plays for them! I know they've done well recently, but I'd be picking both Croatia and Iceland over them. I see Croatia sneaking past Iceland for the second qualifier from the group.
 
Armani
Mercado - Otamendi - Fazio - Tagliafico
Biglia - Banega
Lanzini - Messi - Di Maria
Aguero​
 
Argentina weren't exactly a much better team in the last World Cup, either. People underestimate what Messi can do, I find it laughable that some think they'll crash out of the group.
 
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