Argentina vs Cape Verde: World Cup Round of 32: Messi, prediction, kickoff

Five wins to go. How tin your squad scope the last and triumph the World Cup 2026? Click here to find out.

Who: Argentina vs Cape Verde
What: FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 32
Where: Miami Stadium, Florida, US
When: Friday, July 3, astatine 6pm (22:00 GMT)
How to follow: We volition person each the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 19:00 GMT earlier our unrecorded substance commentary stream.

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Star-studded Argentina proceed their defence of the World Cup, facing Cape Verde connected Friday successful a contention likened to a David vs Goliath battle.

The 2022 title-holders person stormed their mode into the knockouts with 3 wins retired of three, acknowledgment to the masterclass of Lionel Messi, who seems to beryllium enjoying his champion World Cup yet.

His six goals person made him an aboriginal contender for the Golden Boot, arsenic the 39-year-old continues to break records connected the world’s biggest stage.

Giants Argentina are wide favourites against Cape Verde, the tiny land nation that has go the neutrals’ favourites. Only 1 of the 4 debutants to scope the Round of 32, Cape Verde is acceptable to go the smallest country to diagnostic successful the World Cup knockouts.

Here’s everything you request to cognize astir Argentina vs Cape Verde:

How did Argentina and Cape Verde scope the circular of 32?

Argentina were the winners of Group J with 9 points. Here’s a database of their results:

• 3-0 win implicit Algeria
• 2-0 win implicit Austria
• 3-1 win implicit Jordan

Cape Verde were the runners-up of Group H with 3 points. Here’s a database of their results:

• 0-0 draw with Spain
• 2-2 draw with Uruguay
• 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia

Lionel Messi has scored six goals and could overtake Kylian Mbappe successful the Golden Boot contention erstwhile Argentina look Cape Verde successful the past 32 [Jay Biggerstaff/Reuters]

In-form Argentina wary of astonishment bundle Cape Verde

Although Argentina caput into the crippled successful Miami – the location of Messi’s nine Inter Miami – Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni rejected suggestions that Cape Verde volition beryllium casual opponents for the two-time satellite champions.

The state of conscionable much than fractional a cardinal inhabitants, Cape Verde’s World Cup run has not lone raised the illustration of the squad but besides enactment the full island-nation connected the map.

“They’re a bully team. We’ve already watched them, not conscionable due to the fact that we are ‌playing against them, but due to the fact that we were analysing imaginable opponents and past they qualified,” Scaloni said.

“We are not surprised, to beryllium honest. They are a bully team, and they are not present by chance. We indispensable respect them and that’s what we volition do.”

Meanwhile, Cape Verde manager Bubista said his team’s fearless approach, which helped them done the qualification and the radical stage, would not alteration against Argentina.

“Since we arrived, we person trusted successful our ain mode of moving and successful what we person done. If others did not respect us, that was their issue. We ⁠trust our work,” helium added.

Argentina person a benignant way to the semifinals. Australia oregon Egypt await successful the past 16 if Argentina extremity the Cape Verde fairytale, portion Switzerland oregon Colombia are apt quarterfinal opponents.

Argentina vs Cape Verde prediction

Opta’s supercomputer has calculated an 81 percent accidental of Argentina winning the crippled successful regularisation time, and an 89.4 percent accidental of reaching the past 16.

From 25,000 pre-match simulations, Cape Verde lone progressed successful 10.6 percent of the simulations.

Argentina vs Cape Verde: Kickoff time, TV channel

• Argentina: TyC Sports, TyC Sports Play (7pm, Argentina Standard Time)
• Cape Verde: SuperSport, New World TV, DStv (10pm, Cape Verde Standard Time)
• United Kingdom: ITV1, ITVX, STV, STV Player (11pm, British Summer Time)
• United States: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (6pm, Eastern Daylight Time)

To cheque the TV listings for your country, caput to FIFA’s TV listing schedule here.

Argentinian fans show a banner depicting Messi and Diego Maradona kissing the World Cup trophy [Paul Ellis/AFP]

Argentina vs Cape Verde: Head-to-head

Friday’s crippled volition beryllium the archetypal gathering betwixt Argentina and Cape Verde.

Argentina person won each of their past 7 games against African opponents astatine the World Cup, but did gaffe up successful their precise archetypal specified match, losing 1-0 to Cameroon successful 1990.

Another portion of past for Cape Verde sees them go conscionable the 3rd broadside to look the World Cup holders successful the knockout stages of their debut appearance, aft Norway mislaid 2-1 to Italy successful 1938, and Ghana were beaten 3-0 by Brazil successful 2006.

Argentina vs Cape Verde: Team news

No injuries person been reported successful the Argentina camp, but Cape Verde’s Telmo Arcanjo is retired with a hamstring injury. Left backmost Sidny Lopes Cabral volition beryllium disposable again aft serving a one-match prohibition against Saudi Arabia for picking up yellowish cards against Spain and Uruguay.

Argentina’s predicted lineup

(4-4-2): Martinez (goalkeeper); Molina, Romero, Martinez, Medina; De Paul, Mac Allister, Fernandez, Almada; Messi, Martinez

Cape Verde’s predicted lineup

(4-1-4-1): Vozinha (goalkeeper); Moreira, Lopes, Borges, Cabral; Pina; Mendes, Duarte, Monteiro, Semedo; Livramento

With 2 cleanable sheets, Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vozinha has been their cardinal subordinate [Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]