Argentina vs. Cape Verde - prediction, team news, lineups | World Cup 2026

World Cup 2026 co-favourites Argentina look disconnected against contention debutants Cape Verde astatine Hard Rock Stadium successful Miami successful Friday's circular of 32 clash.

The Albiceleste were 1 of 3 teams successful the radical signifier to enactment unblemished, and they look the Blue Sharks, whose antiaircraft resilience has already produced 2 cleanable sheets from 3 matches.

Match preview

It is awesome to deliberation that Argentina's past decision successful a knockout lucifer astatine immoderate tourney came 7 years agone successful Belo Horizonte, wherever they fell successful the 2019 Copa America semi-finals to fierce rivals Brazil.

Since that 2-0 defeat, Lionel Scaloni has guided La Seleccion to a brace of Copa titles successful 2021 and 2023, either broadside of a historical tally to the 2022 World Cup triumph successful Qatar.

The satellite champions person shown small motion of slowing down successful North America, with the pre-tournament favourites winning each 3 group-stage games, a feat they shared with co-hosts Mexico and a star-studded France.

Not adjacent 39-year-old Lionel Messi has shown immoderate signs of letting up, with the Inter Miami guardant scoring six times already, though helium is presently tied with Kylian Mbappe, who has played a crippled more.

Seven years removed from losing to Brazil successful the 2019 Copa America semi-finals, Messi and his teammates look to widen the team's 10-match winning streak crossed their continental contention and the World Cup.

Cape Verde look the imaginable of snapping La Albiceleste's wide winning streak and series of triumphs successful knockout shot — some lasting astatine 10 — but Bubista's squad should person thing to fear.

One of 4 debutants astatine the 2026 finals, on with Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan, lone the Blue Sharks made it done to the archetypal knockout round.

Indeed, they broke caller crushed by playing successful antithetic ways: manacling Spain successful their first-ever World Cup match, with Vozinha astatine the forefront and centre, responding to the setback of pegging Uruguay backmost for 2-2 successful a lucifer they led 1-0 and trailed 2-1 and holding Saudi Arabia for a 2nd goalless encounter.

While they are the lowest scorers among the 32 teams successful the knockout stage, the Blue Sharks' antiaircraft resoluteness stands them successful bully stead against immoderate hostile successful knockout football.

They volition request to enactment compact retired of possession and bounds the satellite champions similar they did Spain successful their tourney debut, but it is simply a situation Bubista volition judge head-on arsenic Tubaroes Azuis question a historical triumph astatine Argentina's expense.

Argentina World Cup form:

Argentina signifier (all competitions):

Cape Verde World Cup form:

Cape Verde signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Having started the occurrence implicit Jordan connected the bench, Messi and Alexis Mac Allister should instrumentality to the XI, portion Rodrigo De Paul, who was rested, is apt to play from the off.

Messi has scored six of Argentina's 8 goals successful North America, accounting for 75% of the defending champions' strikes arsenic they proceed their travel to clasp their crown.

Still, different players successful the radical indispensable measurement up if Scaloni's squad are to beryllium successful, thing 37-goal Lautaro Martinez, 14-goal Julian Alvarez and box-crashing Enzo Fernandez anticipation to bash successful the decisive stages of the Mundial.

Although Cristian Romero looked to person injured his genu successful the triumph implicit Austria, the old-school centre-back is reportedly good and should instrumentality to the squad astatine Nicolas Otamendi's expense.

The Blue Sharks faced a scare up of their last radical fixture aft Telmo Arcanjo, Jamiro Monteiro and Kevin Lenini each seemed to endure injuries; however, lone Arcanjo's musculus contented has kept the midfielder retired since, with the different 2 featuring.

While Dailon Rocha Livramento scored 4 of the team's 16 goals successful qualifying, the guardant has yet to unfastened his relationship connected the planetary stage.

Nonetheless, Livramento's wide tally of six goals for the nationalist squad pales successful examination to Ryan Mendes's 22 and sits 3 shy of Garry Rodrigues's 10.

Argentina imaginable starting lineup:

E. Martinez; Molina, Romero, Lisandro M., Medina; De Paul, Mac Allister, Fernandez, Almada; Messi, Lautaro M.

Cape Verde imaginable starting lineup:

Vozinha; Moreira, Pico, Diney, Cabral; Lenini; Mendes, Duarte, Monteiro, Cabral; Livramento

We say: Argentina 2-0 Cape Verde

Only France are ranked higher than Argentina successful our World Cup betting guide up of the defending champions' gathering with Cape Verde.

While the Blue Sharks person frustrated 2 of their 3 opponents truthful far, the South American heavyweights person 1 man: Messi, and 1 of the sport's top players is apt to beryllium the difference-maker successful Miami connected Friday.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.