TRENDING
Sunday, 21 June 2026
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6 Muharram 1448 AH
Lionel Messi and Argentina face a stern test against Austria in their second World Cup group match, as the defending champions look to maintain their title defense.
The 2026 World Cup has reached its second week, and the defending champions, Argentina, are set to face Austria in their second group match. This encounter will be a strategic test for the South American giants, as they look to maintain their title defense. The match will be played at the Dallas Stadium in Texas, USA, on Monday, with a kickoff time of 12pm local time (17:00 GMT).
Group J is one of the most competitive groups in the tournament, with Argentina, Austria, Algeria, and Jordan vying for a spot in the knockout stages. Argentina and Austria are currently leading the group, with three points each, while Jordan and Algeria remain pointless. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will proceed to the next phase, the round of 32.
Lionel Messi, the iconic Argentinian number 10, has been instrumental in Argentina's title defense. He has scored all three goals in their opening match against Algeria, drawing level with Germany's Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. Messi's hat-trick marked his first-ever hat-trick at a FIFA tournament, and he now sits on 16 World Cup goals. His appearance against Algeria was the 200th of his international career, which began in 2005 at the age of 18.
Austria, led by captain David Alaba, will hope to disrupt Argentina's rhythm with their organised pressing game. The European side has been in fine form, winning all of their pre-World Cup friendlies. Austria's veteran striker, Marko Arnautovic, will push to start in attack after coming off the bench against Jordan. Argentina's assistant coach, Pablo Aimar, has warned that Austria will pose a different challenge to Algeria, describing Rangnick's side as a physical team capable of causing problems.
Opta's supercomputer has made Argentina heavy favourites for this match, giving them a 60.1 percent chance of winning against Austria. The draw is ranked at 22.4 percent, with Austria given just a 17.6 percent chance of beating the defending champions. Opta currently rank Argentina as the fourth favourites to win the World Cup.
The match between Argentina and Austria will be a strategic test for the defending champions. Messi's impact will be crucial, but Austria's organised pressing game and physicality will pose a different challenge. The outcome of this match will have significant implications for Group J, and the World Cup as a whole. Argentina will look to maintain their title defense, while Austria will hope to cause an upset and strengthen their credentials as potential group winners.
Gonzalo Montiel is a doubt for Argentina, with the right-back suffering from a hamstring issue. Nahuel Molina is likely to take his place if he misses out. Austria also have issues at right-back, with Stefan Posch unlikely to feature due to a broken jaw. Marko Arnautovic will push to start in attack after coming off the bench against Jordan.
Argentina predicted lineup: Emi Martinez (goalkeeper); Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Facundo Medina; Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Thiago Almada; Lionel Messi (captain), Lautaro Martinez.
Austria predicted lineup: Alexander Schlager (goalkeeper); Konrad Laimer, Philipp Lienhart, David Alaba (captain), Philipp Mwene; Nicolas Seiwald, Xaver Schlager; Romano Schmid, Carney Chukwuemeka, Marcel Sabitzer; Sasa Kalajdzic.
