Argentina and Bosnia-Herzegovina face off at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday in their World Cup opener. Both sides will be looking to start the tournament off on the right foot, with all eyes on Lionel Messi. The Barcelona star, who is highly criticized for not delivering on the international stage, will need to prove to his country that he is capable of winning games for his national team.
Edin Dzeko will lead the Bosnia-Herzegovina team in their first match against the group favorites Argentina. Bosnia-Herzegovina scored 30 goals in qualification and will face a shaky Argentine defense that will need to prove resilient if the team wishes to win the tournament. That said, the Bosnia-Herzegovina side also has a suspect defense and the lethal Argentinian attack will surely not make mistakes in front of goal.
I believe that Argentina will start with four extremely attack minded players: Messi, Sergio Aguero, Angel di Maria, and Gonzalo Higuain. With this tremendous quartet, look for Argentina to play direct into the attackers and get many players forward. Javier Mascherano will be key as the defensive midfielder looking to stop Bosnian counters, and will need to stay disciplined and only push up in crucial times. With the Argentine weakness in defense, look for the Bosnians to counter quickly and often.
The strongest Bosnian player, Edin Dzeko, is a big target and a good hold-up player, so look for the Bosnians to play long balls up to him in hopes of catching the Argentinian defense off-guard. However, the Bosnian defense is quite weak and will have its hands full with the Argentine attack. The Argentinians are perhaps the strongest attacking side in the tournament and don't expect them to hold back in their opening match.
My Prediction: 3-1 Argentina.
Betting Odds (courtesy of Bovada.lv)
Argentina: Pick -1.5 (+110) // Moneyline (-275)
Bosnia-Herzegovina: Pick +1.5 (-130) // Moneyline (+800)
Draw: (+430)
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