Lionel Messi and Argentina preparing for 'toughest' game of World Cup

SPORT CONFIDENTIAL

Lionel Messi and Argentina preparing for 'toughest' game of World Cup

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Croatia are no mugs and they will be trying to send the Argies packing

Within the Argentine team there is a feeling shared by the players and coaching staff: the semi-final against Croatia will be one of the toughest battles of the tournament, due to the extraordinary competitiveness of the Balkan team.

This is how the Argentines are preparing, with Leo Messi at the helm. The No 10 knows the Croatian team well, who in the last World Cup already managed to beat Argentina forcefully, a 3-0 thumping in the group stage that ended up limiting the chances of the Albiceleste in the tournament.

The Argentines understand Croatia’s know-how; they know how to handle the 'tempo' of the match, they compete until the last breath (they demonstrated it in extra time against Brazil) and their big incentive is to repeat their presence in the final, after losing the 2018 final against France.

Like the Argentines, the Croats play with a country behind them: Croatia has 3.8 million inhabitants, compared to Argentina's 45m, but the red-and-white checkered team has already shown that their football does not understand numbers.

GYM, PHYSIOTHERAPY AND FAMILY

On the day after the intense match against the Netherlands, Messi tried to disconnect with the family: like most of his teammates, he received a visit from his wife and his children at the facilities of the University of Qatar where Argentina are gathered.

As usual, he worked in the gym and put himself in the hands of physiotherapists and kinesiologists, as they are often called in Argentina. Afterward, he spent a few hours with the family.

Lionel Scaloni, coach of the Albiceleste, is already preparing for the clash against Croatia: he does so with two confirmed casualties, those of Acuña and Montiel, suspended, plus with two more doubts, De Paul and Di María, who have physical problems.

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