FIFA World Cup 2018: Group ‘D’ Preview – Argentina, Iceland, Croatia & Nigeria

Messi led Argentina aim high

  Argentina have played in 16 World Cup tournaments and have won the title twice -- at home in 1978 and in Mexico eight years later when a Diego Maradona-inspired side got past England on their way to a thrilling 3-2 win over West Germany in the final. Argentina have also reached the final on three other occasions -- at the first World Cup in 1930, in Italy in 1990 and four years ago in Brazil where they lost in extra time to Germany.   Coach:Jorge Sampaoli   Key players: Lionel Messi: Messi will celebrate his 31st birthday during the tournament and this could be his last chance to win the one big title he lacks. Few people doubt the five-times World Player of the Year will score goals. The big question is whether his team mates will be inspired enough to approach his level. Gonzalo Higuain: Higuain is Argentina's enigma, a player who seems to score at will for his club Juventus but labours to hit the target when wearing the national shirt. Higuain's recent record for Argentina –- one goal in nine World Cup qualifiers -– is so poor that he is not even a certainty to go to Russia under Sampaoli. However, another fine season for Juve suggests Sampaoli cannot afford to leave him out. Nicolas Otamendi: Unsung hero Otamendi is the only ever-present in Sampaoli's line up since Argentina qualified for the World Cup back in October. The Manchester City defender provides much-needed reliability in a national side that has changed both names and formations with alarming regularity since Sampaoli took over.   Form guide: Argentina struggled in the qualifiers and they have barely improved since, with inconsistent results and a porous defence. They lost a November friendly 4-2 against Group D opponents Nigeria and although a 2-0 win over Italy in March briefly raised their spirits, they lost 6-1 to Spain a few days later in one of their worst performances in years.   Prospects: Argentina reached the World Cup final in 2014 and the Copa America final in 2015 and 2016, but it has been downhill ever since for the twice champions. They are in the hardest group of all, Group D, alongside Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria. If they qualify they will at least be in the side of the draw that would keep them apart from Brazil, Germany and England before the final. Another advantage for Argentina is that they begin their campaign early, just three days into the tournament on June 16 against Iceland, giving the players more time to rest.  

Croatia hope experience prevails

    Croatia have qualified for five out of six World Cup tournaments as an independent nation since they broke away from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, having missed out only on the 2010 event in South Africa. Their best result came in their maiden appearance in 1998, when they reached the semi-finals and finished third after a 2-1 win over the Netherlands in the playoff. They made group-stage exits in 2002, 2006 and 2014 after talented generations of players failed to live up to expectations.   Coach: Zlatko Dalic   Key players: Luka Modric: The 32-year old playmaker is past his prime but is still an indispensable midfield presence for club and country. The tireless and creative Modric has been able to hold down his slot at Real Madrid and Croatia with a wide range of qualities, notably his sublime passing. Ivan Rakitic: Barcelona's central midfielder has taken over many of Modric's attacking duties for Croatia as his immaculate passing and excellent ball control are complemented by an eye for goal and darting runs from deep positions. The two constitute a powerful engine room which should propel Croatia to the knockout stages of the 32-nation tournament in Russia. Mario Madzukic: Croatia boast a wealth of talent up front with players such as Nikola Kalinic, Andrej Kramaric and pacy winger Ivan Perisic always attacking threats. But it is the towering yet skilful hitman Mandzukic who strikes fear into the hearts of defenders with his lethal finishing and ability to create space for his team mates with unselfish play.   Form guide: The friendly against Brazil in Liverpool on June 3 will be a good barometer of Croatia's World Cup prospects following a 2-0 win over Peru and 1-0 defeat of Mexico in March friendlies. Those victories came on the back of a 4-1 aggregate playoff qualifying win over Greece following a crunch 2-0 group win at Ukraine which sent the Croatians into the playoffs.   Prospects: Croatia are in a fiercely competitive Group D including Argentina, Nigeria and Iceland but should be good enough to reach the last 16 and possibly advance to the tournament's latter stages.  

Iceland’s goes to 1st ever World Cup

    This is the first time Iceland have qualified for the World Cup finals. Having suffered the agony of a playoff defeat to Croatia to miss out on the 2014 World Cup, Iceland went one better this time and won their group outright to qualify directly.   Coach: Heimir Hallgrimsson   Key players: Gylfi Sigurdsson: A knee injury has cast a shadow over the preparations of Iceland's stand-out player and if the midfielder does not recover in time, they may well struggle without him. The 28-year-old boasts a powerful blend of skill, intelligence and athleticism that has made him a driving force in the Premier League, where he now plays for Everton after spells at Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea. Birkir Bjarnason: With his long blonde hair and beard, midfielder Bjarnason looks every inch the Viking, and his tireless running and tough tackling often set the tone for the rest of his team. A nomadic career has seen the 29-year-old represent clubs in Norway, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland and England, and he often pops up to score crucial goals for his country. Jon Dadi Bodvarsson: If the Reading attacker gets the nod to replace Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, who has been struggling with a knee injury, he will need to find his scoring touch if he is to propel Iceland into the knockout stages. Sometimes deployed as a winger, Bodvarsson has just two goals in 36 games for Iceland, and he will likely be tasked with providing an outlet up front for Iceland's high-octane, counter-attacking game.   Form guide: After a successful winter tour to Qatar and Indonesia featuring many of their reserve players, Iceland suffered two defeats in spring friendlies against Mexico and Peru. They will round off their preparations by facing Norway and Ghana at home before heading to Russia.   Prospects: Though their style of play is not very dependent on personnel, Iceland's chances do very much depend on the fitness of Sigurdsson -- if he is fit they are capable of giving any team in Russia a run for their money. Their lack of strength in depth was exposed as the 2016 Euros in France wore on, but with the entire nation behind them, lightning could strike twice for a team famous for their "thunderclap" celebration. They face Argentina, Croatia and Nigeria in a tough Group D in Russia.  
 

Confidence key for youthful Nigeria

    Nigeria are appearing at their sixth World Cup finals, having missed only one tournament since they first qualified in 1994. They have got past the first round three times -- on their debut appearance in the United States in 1994, four years later in France and again in Brazil. In 1994 they were just minutes from beating Italy and reaching the quarter-finals before giving up an equaliser and going on to lose after extra time.   Coach: Gernot Rohr   Key players: Alex Iwobi: A tricky winger, he played for England at youth level before declaring for Nigeria. Iwobi was four years old when his family moved from Lagos to London. His uncle Jay-Jay Okocha went to the World Cup in both 1994 and 1998 and Iwobi is seen as a member of an exciting new crop of talent with the ability to match the exploits of Okocha’s group, who are regarded as Nigeria’s golden footballing generation. Victor Moses: Another former England junior international who fled to Britain aged 11 when his parents were killed in religious riots in Nigeria. Moses’s strong play on the right side of the attack is pivotal to the Super Eagles and he brings vital previous World Cup experience to the squad. Wilfred Ndidi: Converted from centre-back into a defensive midfielder when still a teenager at Genk in Belgium, he cost Leicester City 17 million pounds ($22.78 million) last year. Ndidi does not score many goals but when he does it is usually with a touch of the spectacular.   Form guide: A six-match unbeaten run for Nigeria was ended when Serbia beat them 2-0 in a World Cup warm-up game in London in March. Their preparatory programme before Russia includes a 4-2 victory over Argentina in Krasnodar in November and 1-0 away over Poland in Wroclaw in March.   Prospects: Nigeria are in Group D where they face Croatia, Iceland and, in their final game, Argentina. The meeting with the Argentines in St Petersburg is the fifth match-up between the two countries in Nigeria’s six World Cup finals appearances. As a team that feed on confidence, success in their opening encounter on June 16 against Croatia is key to their chances of advancing.