Argentine coach goes for broke naming very attacking team with average age of 31 for tonight's game

ARGENTINA have decided to go for broke today and throw everything they have got against the Super Eagles when the two teams meet in their final Group D World Cup match with coach Jorge Sampaoli going for a very attacking line-up.

Tonight, both teams meet at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg, with the Eagles just needing a point to proceed to the next round. Argentina on the other hand, need a big win as they have had an atrocious start to the tournament, picking up just one point from their first two matches and have a goal deficit of minus three.

Mathematically, Argentina can still qualify for the next round but this would mean they have to defeat Nigeria by a big margin and hope that the result in the Croatia vs Iceland game goes their way. With nothing to lose from going for broke, Coach Sampaoli has decided to bring back Paris Saint-Germain winger Angel De Maria (30) in a very offensive formation that includes Sergio Aguero (30) and Lionel Messi (31).

Midfielder Javier Mascherano said Argentina have seen how Nigeria fared against Croatia and Iceland respectively and that will guide them in today’s game. He added that they will approach the tie game with a match plan to frustrate the Eagles from using their pace, strength and guile.

Mascherano said: “It's a team with interesting players. We saw against Iceland how they suffered in the first half but they hanged on brilliantly and in the second half showed their best game in this World Cup.

"You do not have to give them space as with space, they do a lot of damage to you because they are very physical players, very fast. We must control their strongest points to limit them and then take advantage of our opportunities.”

Aware of the fact that his team desperately needs goals, Coach Sampaoli has decided to go for a 4-3-3 formation with Mascherano (34), Sevilla's Ever Banega (29) and AC Milan's Lucas Biglia (32) in midfield. In defence, he has also made changes, bringing in goalkeeper Franco Armani (31) and a back four comprising of Gabriel Mercado (31), Nicolas Otamendi (30), Federico Fazio (31) and Marcos Rojo (28).

Throwing caution to the wind, Coach Sampaoli has gone for an ageing team that may not have the legs to match the Eagles for stamina and pace but he appears to have no choice. While the Eagles are on the upward trajectory following a comprehensive 2-0 victory over Iceland in their last match, the Argentines are dejected and in disarray after losing their last match 0-3 to Croatia.

Nigeria's two-goal hero in the Iceland match, Ahmed Musa is expected to start today having scored twice against Argentina at the last World Cup and showed sharpness in training yesterday. Musa was in full flight in yesterday’s training session using his pace and technical prowess to good effect during the session.

With an average age of about 31, the Argentine team will struggle to match Musa's pace but with Argentina facing certain exit from the World Cup, Coach Sampaoli has decided to at least go out with a fight. As the group stands, Croatia and Nigeria look favourites to qualify for the next round, with Argentina and Iceland heading home tonight.