Argentina face Nigeria in a must-win Group D tie of Fifa World Cup 2018 in St. Petersburg on Tuesday, June 26.
When is the match and how to watch it live
Argentina's final Group D match against Nigeria will start at 9 pm local time, 11:30 pm IST and 7 pm BST.
Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 3 and Sony ESPN will provide live television coverage of the match in India. The live stream will be available on Sony Liv.
Can Argentina qualify to the knockout stages?
Yes, they can. The Albiceleste need nothing less than a win to stand a chance of qualifying for the last 16 of the World Cup.
Group D leaders Croatia have already booked a spot in the knockout stages after having collected six points in their first two games.
Nigeria, meanwhile, are sitting at the second spot, thanks to their win over Iceland on June 22. Gernot Rohr's men can qualify even with a draw but with Ahmed Musa leading the frontline, the African nation can trouble Argentina later today.
Iceland are Argentina are tied on points (one each) but Jorge Sampaoli's men occupy the fourth spot due to their 3-0 thrashing to Croatia on June 21.
Messi needs to show up!
All eyes will be on Lionel Messi as the Argentina captain needs to step up if his team are to avoid an embarrassing early exit. The Barcelona superstar had scored a hat-trick in a must-win qualifying tie against Ecuador on the road last year and a similar performance in St. Petersburg today will work wonders for his team.
However, much to the surprise of the football fraternity, Messi has been underwhelming in the ongoing tournament. He has missed a penalty, hardly managed to trouble opposition defence from set-pieces and has been crowded out in both the previous outings.
Messi needs to deliver for Argentina, who have been affected by talks of unrest in the camp as well. It was reported that the players themselves would make calls on team selection for the final tie but veteran Javier Mascherano has reportedly denied claims, saying under-fire Sampaoli is very much in control of things.
Argentina are likely to make a few changes to the line-up as well as their formation as they were thumped with a back three set-up by Croatia. Goalkeeper Wilfredo Caballero is likely to make way for inexperienced Franco Armani while Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain and Mesut Ozil are set to start.
Nigeria have the firepower to deliver the knockout blow
On the other hand, Nigeria will be better served if they don't go by the reputation of their opposition but by the recent form. The African side should believe they can win the tie, given the pace the likes of Victor Moses and Ahmed Musa provide.
The Argentine defence has been shoddy throughout the tournament and another such performance could just end their team's campaign in the quadrennial tournament.
Argentina vs Nigeria: Group D team news
Global TV guide and live stream information
- UK: ITV, Live stream: The ITV Hub
- US: Fox Sports, fubo TV; Live stream: Fox Sports GO
- Argentina: TyC Sports, DIRECTV Sports; Live stream: DIRECTV Play
- Australia: Optus Sport, SBS
- Bangladesh: PTV Sports, Sony ESPN
- Brazil: SporTV, Globo, Fox Sports 1 Brasil
- France: TF1, beIN Sports 1; Live stream: beIN Sports Connect
