Argentina

The 1986 world champions qualified from a group which featured the likes of Nigeria, South Korea and Greece with the Argentines beating them all with relative ease.

However, Maradona does not want his squad to get carried away and believe the hype that currently surrounds them.

He said: “Now the road gets more difficult.

“You always hear about Germany, Italy, Brazil playing poorly, but they’re always in the second round, quarters, semi-finals and the final,? he added.

Argentina (Argentina 1/2, draw 3/1, Mexico 5/1) have played some of the best football of the tournament so far and will be confident as they go into their first knockout match against Group A runners-up Mexico.

In Argentina’s last group game against Greece, a match in which they cruised to 2-0 victory, Lionel Messi (18/1 to be top goalscorer at the World Cup) became the youngest player to captain his country at a World Cup.

The 22-year-old Barcelona superstar has revealed that the opportunity to skipper Argentina was “very special” to him.

Maradona rested a number of players including Javier Mascherano and Gonzalo Higuain but decided to play Messi who is considered the best player in the world at the moment.

“We want to be world champions with Messi,” Maradona said.

“We had the opportunity to leave him out but we wanted to play him. A lot of people come to see him play. To leave him out would be a sin,” he added.

Mexico will be looking to cause an upset against Argentina on June 26.

The two sides faced each other at the same stage of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Argentina were victorious that day, winning 2-1 after extra time in Leipzig but this time round Javier Aguirre wants to come to out on top.

He said: “This could be a nice opportunity to take revenge for what happened four years ago.”

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Argentina

But Maradona failed to apologise to Brazilian legend Pele at a news conference following the match.

Pele and Platini had made comments regarding Maradona’s coaching ability, but the Argentinian said: “The other day I spoke about Mr Platini. Mr Platini sent me a letter, saying that he never said what you (reporters) told me he had said.”

He added: “I want to send my apologies, through you (reporters), to Mr Platini… but not Pele,” Maradona said after producing a letter he said was from the French UEFA president.

Platini was reported to have said Maradona was only a good coach as a player, implying he was not any good now.

Maradona had criticised the pair on Wednesday, telling Pele he should “go back to the museum” while describing Platini as arrogant.

Maradona praised his players after Argentina made it two wins from two games to put themselves in control of Group B.

“Argentina played a great match and were unforgiving. We deserved to give ourselves such a win,” he said.

“In (our 1-0 victory over) Nigeria we had come close to playing a match like this but we couldn’t achieve it on the scoreboard,” Maradona added.

“Argentina controlled the ball at will (today). Korea never dominated, they never found the answer to our game apart from one counter-attack,” he said.

Maradona did not blame Martin Demichelis for the mistake that handed the Koreans their goal in the first half on Thursday, saying such a setback merely made his team more determined to play better in the second half.

Central defender Walter Samuel came off midway through the first half with a leg muscle strain but team spokesman Andres Ventura said: “We don’t think it’s a pull but he’ll have to do some tests.”

Samuel, who was replaced by the impressive Nicolas Burdisso, will probably miss their final group match against Greece on Tuesday in which a draw will be enough for them to qualify.

Maradona also had an unexpected answer to a reporter’s question on whether love would win the World Cup given the hugging and kissing that goes on in Argentina’s squad.

“I love women… so people don’t think I’ve turned over,” Maradona exclaimed with wide eyes and made a gesture with his hand.

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Argentina

Maradona, who scored the infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England in 1986, made the appeal at his press conference ahead of Argentina’s opening group B match against Nigeria in Johannesburg on Saturday.

“Let there really be fair play, let the referees understand what the words fair play mean.”

Maradona, who captained the Argentineans to World Cup glory in 1986 and led them to the final four years later, claimed he had fallen foul to the more unsporting side of the game during his side’s opening game in 1990 against Cameroon.

“When the fair play [slogan] was introduced in 1990 I was kicked so hard they almost knocked my head off against Cameroon,” Maradona said

Cameroon went on to win that game 1-0 thanks to an Emanuel Kunde goal despite having two players sent off. Despite the loss, Argentina went on to finish runners up, losing out to West Germany 1-0 in the final.

Maradona also told the press that he believed that the finals could see Lionel Messi cement his place in footballing history and could even see him eclipse Maradona himself as the greatest Argentinean to play the game.

Argentina go into the game on the back of a 5-0 victory against Canada and will be looking for their third tournament victory after coming out on top in 1978 and 1986.

One of the main talking points in the build-up to the tournament has been Maradona’s selection policy which has seen him leave out Champions League winners Estaban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti in favour of a number of Argentinean based players.

The Albiceste are expected to start with a three man attack with Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain playing through the middle and Lionel Messi (11/8 L Messi 5/4 D Villa 3/1 draw – Goalscorer Match Bet) and Carlos Tevez playing in the wide positions.

The experienced pair of Walter Samuel and Martin Demechlis are likely to partner each other in defence while the experienced Juan Sebastian Veron is expected to start alongside the skipper Javier Macherano in the midfield.

There is a slight doubt over right-back Nicolas Otamendi and Newcastle’s Jonas Guiteirrez is likely to deputise.

Nigeria are without their talisman John Obi Mikel, who has been ruled out of the tournament with a knee problem. His place is likely to be taken by Monaco midfielder Lukman Haruma, while Chinedu Obasi is likely to get the nod up front alongside Yakubu.

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Garce, 30, has won just one cap for the national team and had been regarded as a surprise choice in the 30-man provisional squad named last week.

That appearance came in a 4-0 friendly win over Haiti two weeks ago, when Argentina fielded a side made up entirely of home-based players.

Garce was suspended for six months for doping in 2006 and plays for the Argentine club Colon. He was preferred to Inter Milan defender and captain Javier Zanetti.

The seven men cut from the provisional squad are Newcastle defender Fabricio Coloccini, Newell’s Old Boys defender Juan Manuel Insaurralde, Jose Sosa of Estudiantes, Olympiacos midfielder Jesus Datolo, Napoli forward Ezequiel Lavezzi, Lanus’ Sebastian Blanco and Juan Mercier of Argentinos Juniors.

The squad includes Lionel Messi (10/1 top goalscorer) and the country’s other big stars, which seems set to give the squad an abundance of talent up front, led by Messi, Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain.

Maradona, who presented a provisional 30-man squad last week, selected a group that includes three goalkeepers, seven defenders, seven at midfield and six forwards.

Maradona is likely to start Messi with Tevez or Higuain up front with a midfield anchored by Javier Mascherano, Juan Sebastian Veron, Jonas Gutierrez and Angel Di Maria. The four starters at the back are expected to be Nicolas Otamendi, Martin Demichelis, Walter Samuel and Gabriel Heinze.

The starting goalkeeper is almost sure to be Sergio Romero of Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.

Argentina struggled to reach the World Cup, qualifying fourth – the last automatic spot from South America.

Maradona has been in charge for 19 months but has failed to show the same great flair as a coach that he had as a player.

Argentina face Canada on Monday at River Plate’s stadium in Buenos Aires, in what is expected to be its last warm-up before the World Cup.

The 1978 and ‘86 champions open on June 12 in South Africa against Nigeria and also faces Greece and South Korea in Group B.

Argentine officials confirmed for the first time that the team will depart for South Africa on May 28.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar), Mariano Andujar (Catania), Diego Pozo (Colon).

Defenders: Nicolas Otamendi (Velez Sarsfield), Martin Demichelis (Bayern Munich), Walter Samuel (Inter Milan), Gabriel Heinze (Marseille), Nicolas Burdisso (AS Roma), Ariel Garce (Colon), Clemente Rodriguez (Estudiantes).

Midfielders: Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle), Juan Sebastian Veron (Estudiantes), Javier Mascherano (Liverpool), Angel Di Maria (Benfica), Javier Pastore (Palermo), Maxi Rodriguez (Liverpool), Mario Bolatti (Fiorentina).

Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid), Carlos Tevez (Manchester City), Diego Milito (Inter Milan), Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid), Martin Palermo (Boca Juniors).

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