Argentina wants to wake up Cape Verde from sleep

The current world champion, Argentina, faces its debut in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers this Saturday (0.00 hours in Spain) with a round of 32 duel against the surprising Cape Verde at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami (United States), a cross between one of the great favorites for the title and one of the revelations of the tournament.

Lionel Scaloni’s team has confirmed in the group stage that it continues to be a firm candidate to revalidate the crown won in Qatar, with Leo Messi continuing to lead the way and a group that is closing ranks with him, but with many more compelling arguments to, for now, end with a Cape Verde that continues to dream.

The albiceleste closed Group J with full victories after beating Algeria 3-0, Austria 2-0 and Jordan 3-1, managing efforts without losing competitiveness and with Leo Messi who continues to expand his legend, even coming off the bench, to make his story bigger.

The Argentine captain was once again decisive on the last day. He came on in the second half against Jordan and scored the final 1-3, his nineteenth goal in the World Cup – a championship for which he is the all-time top scorer – and the seventh consecutive game he scored in the competition, another example of the depth of a team capable of also winning with rotations and that also has the nose of Lautaro Martínez, the creativity of Enzo Fernández, De Paul and Mac Allister or the defensive hierarchy of Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez.

Opposite will be a Cape Verde team that has already written the most brilliant page in its football history. Debutant in a World Cup, the team led by Bubista reached the crossroads without knowing defeat after drawing with Spain (0-0) in its debut, rescuing a valuable 2-2 against Uruguay and closing the group stage with another 0-0 against Saudi Arabia. Three draws were enough for them to qualify as second in Group H and keep alive a dream that seemed unlikely before the tournament.

The ‘Blue Sharks’ have built their success on order and solidarity. They have barely conceded two goals in three games, with the veteran Vozinha transmitting confidence between the sticks and players like Ryan Mendes, Jamiro Monteiro and Willy Semedo leading a competitive block that has already shown that it can bother larger rivals, as he did against the European champion, Spain, or a Uruguay against which he managed to come back to score a point.

The contrast in styles makes the duel one of the most attractive of these sixteenths. Argentina arrives with nine goals scored in the first phase and the feeling of having grown with the passing of the matches, while Cape Verde will try to extend the match, minimize spaces and take advantage of any opportunity to continue fueling the biggest surprise of the championship on the counterattack.

It will also be a duel with focuses divided between experience and youth. Messi will once again monopolize much of the attention, accompanied by a fully consolidated world champion block, while the African team hopes to maintain the level shown by players like Dailon Livramento, Kevin Pina or Deroy Duarte to continue making history.

The prize will be a ticket to the round of 16, where the winner will face the winner of the match between Australia and Egypt, scheduled for July 7 in Atlanta. Before, however, Argentina will have to confirm on the pitch that it is the favorite against a Cape Verde team that has already shown in this World Cup that it does not understand predictions.

TECHNICAL SHEET.

–POSIBLE ALIGNMENTS.

ARGENTINA: Emiliano Martínez; Molina, Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Medina; Mac Allister, De Paul, Enzo Fernández; Almada, Messi and Lautaro Martínez.

CAPE VERDE: Voice; Diney Borges, Pico Lopes, Wagner Pina, Kevin Pina; Joao Paulo, Jamiero Montiero, Deroy Duarte, Willy Semedo; Dailon Livramento and Ryan Mendes.

–REFEREE: Drew Fischer (CAN).

–STADIUM: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami (United States).

–TIME: 0.00/DAZN.