2018 World Cup hosts take on Argentina in a friendly match in Moscow this weekend, with the South American side hoping to record a victory away from home. The match pits together two differing styles of football, with Barcelona star Lionel Messi expected to line-up for the visitors.
International Friendly – Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow – Saturday 11th November – 13:00 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 9/4 at Ladbrokes |
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Russia
ArgentinaMatch Preview
Russia take on Argentina in Moscow on Saturday afternoon, with the two teams looking to get one over on each other ahead of a potential rematch at next year’s World Cup finals. Having only qualified for the finals during the final week of qualifying in South America, Argentina are under pressure to show that they are not just a one-man team. With a whole host of betting markets surrounding this match, be sure to check out our top tip ahead of kick-off. However, let’s first take a closer look at the two teams, starting with the home side.
Russia Team News & Form
Having automatically qualified for the World Cup as a result of being the host nation, Russia return to action on the field this weekend in order to improve their understanding as a group. Head Coach Stanislav Cherchesov has named an experienced playing squad for the clash, with the likes of Aleksandr Kokorin, Yuri Zhirkov and Alan Dzagoev among their most talented players.
Russia defeated South Korea in a friendly back in October, before battling to a draw with Iran just days later. Elsewhere, Akhmat Grozny midfielder Anton Shvets is in line to make his senior international debut against Argentina.
Argentina Team News & Form
A Lionel Messi hat-trick helped Argentina to a crucial 3-1 win over Ecuador last time around, confirm their place at next year’s World Cup finals. Manager Jorge Sampaoli is still under pressure however, with fixtures against both Russia and Nigeria in the coming days set to demonstrate their full potential as a team.
Inter Milan forward Mauro Icardi will miss such matches after withdrawing from their squad through injury, however with the likes of Sergio Aguero and Paulo Dybala around, he is unlikely to be missed too much. Lionel Messi will be looking to add to his 61 international goals, scored from just 122 matches.
Head to Head
The two teams have met just once in the past, coming back in 2009 when Argentina defeated Russia by three goals to two in an entertaining clash. However, with no matches between the two nations since then, few conclusions can be made from the head-to-head record between the duo.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Despite being the away side this weekend, it is Argentina who are the narrow favourites for victory in their clash with Russia. Lionel Messi and Co can be backed at best odds of 17/20 with William Hill, while the same bookmaker has the home side at odds of 16/5 with Ladbrokes. Elsewhere, betting on there being over 1.5 goals in the match is well worth considering, with odds of 4/11 available.
Top Betting Tip
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on both teams to score when Russia host Argentina this weekend, with best odds of 10/11 found at William Hill.