After an embarrassing defeat, the pressure is on Argentina to win their next group game on Saturday and give themselves a chance of qualifying to the round of 16. Lionel Scaloni’s side will be delighted to be up against Mexico, a team that they are unbeaten against in the last 10 meetings.

Despite losing, Argentina dominated on xG (2.26 v 0.15) and even had three goals chalked off. Argentina are normally solid in defense too, having kept 10 clean sheets in CONMBEOL qualifying. This, as well as the fact that Mexico lack a clear no 9 mean that they shouldn’t concede on Saturday. With all this in mind, I believe Messi will rally his team to a win against Mexico and finally show the world why Argentina were strong favorites to win this tournament.

Messi operated primarily in the pocket just off the right in the last game. This will put him in direct opposition with Jesus Gallardo on Saturday. Lionel’s close control and ability to shift the ball out of tight areas make him the ideal candidate to be fouled.

Gallardo put in a strong display against Poland; making 4 tackles and completing 2 successful dribbles. He also committed 1 foul and he should be even busier in this match. The left-back averaged 1.31 fouls per game coming into the tournament and we expect him to be amongst the fouls in a game that is so important for both teams.

Vega had 5 shots as Mexico searched for the opening goal against Poland. The winger was a bright spark and constantly looked to get involved in the attacking phase. We highlighted him before the first game for his exceptional pace and superb shooting technique. He displayed all of those qualities and we expect him to rise to the occasion on Saturday.

The winger averaged 3.03 shots per 90 minutes for Mexico in the 5 matches the national team played prior to first game of the group. The attacker has all the qualities to cause problems for an Argentine defence that were rocked by 5 minutes of brilliance from Saudi Arabia just days ago.