The reigning world champions, who occupy the top spot in the FIFA rankings, are in excellent form: they have won their last eight matches in a row and conceded only two goals in 10 games. While Lionel Messi's hat-trick in the opening round against Algeria (3-0) demonstrated their attacking prowess, Austria's 3-1 rout of Jordan was less convincing and was largely achieved through individual performances.
The key factor will be the difference in skill and squad depth. Argentina, despite the loss of defender Leonardo Balerdi to injury and the addition of Marcos Senesi, has a balanced squad. The motivation of Messi, who is one goal short of becoming the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, will provide additional incentive for their attacking play. Austria, meanwhile, enters the match with personnel issues: key midfielder Christoph Baumgartner is missing the tournament due to injury, and their victory over Jordan was a hard-won victory.
