Argentina vs Bosnia & Herzegovina would be the first match of a rather easy group (Group F), which the Albicelestes are expected to top. Iran, Nigeria and even Bosnia & Herzegovina are not quite expected to pull off an upset against one of the favourites of the tournament, but judging by the way things have gone so far, nothing can be ruled out. Messi & co. had a rather dismal showing in the 2010 campaign and will be looking to kick things off in style. On the other hand Bosnia & Herzegovina will be looking to make a statement of intent.
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Venue
Estadio Jornalista Mario Filho in Rio de Janeiro or the Maracanã Stadium was opened in 1950, to help Brazil host the 1950 Football World Cup, when it seated a record 199,854 people during the final between Brazil and Uruguay, which Uruguay won 2-1. The current capacity of the stadium is 78,838, making it the largest stadium in Brazil and South America.
The Maracanã has been partially rebuilt to host the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The final of this edition’s World Cup will also be held at the Maracanã, while it is also scheduled to host a number of other matches.
Kickoff time
June 15 - 07:00 pm - Local Time (Brazil)
June 16 - 03:30 am - Indian Standard Time (IST)
Possible Starting Line Ups
Argentina (4-3-3): Romero; Zabaleta, Fernandez, Garay, Rojo; Gago, Mascherano, Di Maria; Messi, Higuain, Aguero.
With a plethora of attacking talent in their ranks, Alejandro Sabella is going to be a rather satisfied manager to have such a desirable selection head ache. The forward line is expected to remain the same and similarly, no notable changes are expected in the flaky defense.
Angel Di Maria who was instrumental in Real Madrid's historic La Decima triumph, is again going to play a key role in this Argentine side while Lionel Messi’s importance goes without saying.
Bosnia and Herzegovina (4-4-2): Begovic, Mujdza, Spahic, Bicakcic, Kolasinac, Hajrovic, Besic, Pjanic, Lulic, Salihovic, Dzeko.
Much will be expected from Edin Dzeko, who scored 10 goals in the qualifying rounds, helping his team secure a birth in the finals. Asmir Begovic can expect a busy day in the office, and much will be decided by how good a day he will have. They will look to Miralem Pjanic for their creativity.
Key Facts
Safet Susic, the coach of Bosnia, was a former Yugoslavian forward, who had notched up 21 goals in 54 internationals for his country, which included an impressive hat-trick in a 4-2 friendly victory over Argentina in Belgrade in 1979.
In their last nine World Cup encounters against European sides, La Albicesleste have only managed two victories, losing three on the way while drawing four.
On the other hand, Argentina have won nine of their last twelve group games in the World Cup, losing only once in the process. They have managed to score 24 goals while conceding only four goals during that time.
Bosnia & Herzegovina will make their maiden appearance in the World Cup, the best ever debut performance by a side was third, a feat achieved by only two sides, Portugal (1966) and Croatia (1998).
In a total of 571 minutes of World Cup football, Lionel Messi has managed to find the back of the net on only one occasion, while having managed 31 shots in this process.
The Dragons and the Albicelestes have faced each other only twice before tonight, both in friendly games, where the South Americans have come out with victories on both occasions, scoring seven goals in the process and keeping two clean sheets.
In the European qualifiers, no player has been involved in more goals than Edin Dzeko, who has scored 10 and assisted a further 4 goals.
Alejandro Sabella’s side have managed to score 35 goals in the qualifying round, more than any other South American side.
All of the eight of Bosnia’s headed goals have been scored by Edin Dzeko and his strike partner Vedad Ibisevic, both having scored four a piece.
Key Battles
Edin Dzeko vs Federico Fernandez
While on one hand of the pitch the Bosnian defense will have a tough time keeping Lionel Messi & co. in check, its the battle on the other end of the pitch which may prove pivotal to which way the tie shifts. Fernandez will have to be at the top of his game to keep the 27-year-old striker quite.
Predictions
Alejandro Sabella's men will be looking to start their quest for a third World Cup on a high and will be looking to make a statement in this encounter. A win is expected for the Albicestes, who will be led by Messi, who has a point or two to prove to his doubters, having scored only a solitary goal in the World Cup in the previous two campaigns. However, the tournament so far has been full of surprises, and an upset could very well be on the cards.
Predicted Scoreline: Argentina 3-1 Bosnia Herzegovina
Match Officials:
Referee: Joel Aguilar (El Salvador).
Assistant Referee 1: William Torres (El Salvador).
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Zumba (El Salvador).
Fourth Official: Djamel Haimoudi (Algeria)
