2010 FIFA World Cup: Argentina-Nigeria, Group B Preview

This is Argentina coach Diego Maradona’s chance to prove his masses of doubters wrong early on in the Cup.

If the Argentineans can deliver the performance we all know they’re capable of, the team will dispose of some initial pressure.

It will be interesting to see if the coach’s unconventional lead up to the World Cup will affect his team’s performance and how much he can get out of his players.

The Argentines would normally be overwhelming favorites to storm ahead in a group that contains Greece, Nigeria, and South Korea. But the manner in which they struggled to get through the qualifying stages does not bode well for the side.

That, along with Maradona’s seemingly random squad selection, leaves a lot open to speculation, even if the squad's talent is undeniable.

Nigeria is not exactly lacking in talent, and Everton’s Yobo and Yakubu are experienced players.

Both players have competed on the highest stages in Europe.

But as talented as many of the Nigerians are, they are miles away from matching Argentina's pure skill. Still, the Nigerians have had a rather successful set of preparations and finished up with a 3-1 win over North Korea.

They seem to be clicking at the right time.

This match is really going to come down to whether the Argentineans play at their best. If they repeat some of their poor qualifying performances, this is anybody's match—and group.

These teams are both favorites to progress out of Group B, although this match could quite easily decide who finishes first and who finishes second.

Nigeria doesn’t have the same level of pressure as the Argentinean team. Not as much is expected from them.

This could be an advantage, as Maradona’s side could quite easily crack under the weight of team expectations.

Watch Argentina vs Nigeria live on these TV stations: Al Jazeera Sport 3D, BBC HD (in the UK), Nederland 1 HD (in Holland), Sky Mondiale HD1 (Italy), Sky Sport HD and ARD (in Germany), ERT (in Greece), TF1 HD (in France) and  and of course many public TV stations from Europe and around the world.

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