Cape Verde President José Maria Neves boldly predicts his nation will defeat defending champions Argentina 1-0 in Friday’s World Cup Last 32 clash.
Speaking to the BBC, Neves emphasized that the debutants are "playing to win" and aiming to permanently surprise the world. Cape Verde recently made history as the smallest nation to ever reach the knockout stages, following impressive group-stage draws against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.
Regardless of Friday's outcome against Lionel Messi’s top-ranked side, Neves insists the team will leave with their "heads high," having already achieved their mission of showcasing their island nation globally.
Cape Verde is ready to defy the odds against reigning champions Argentina and Lionel Messi in their historic World Cup Round of 32 clash this Friday in Tampa.
Despite being massive underdogs African debutants are brimming with confidence. Their fairytale tournament run already includes impressive draws against former champions Spain and Uruguay. Assistant coach Humberto Bettencourt dismissed the statistical improbability of an upset emphasizing that matches are decided on the pitch not on paper.
"They gave us one percent before and now four percent is irrelevant to us," Bettencourt said, noting that facing the Albiceleste is a pleasure rather than a burden.
Cape Verde the least populous nation to ever reach the World Cup knockout stages does not plan to radically alter its style or man-mark Messi. Instead, Bettencourt highlighted a collective defensive approach to neutralize Argentina's playmaking spaces.
In team news, Cape Verde midfielder Telmo Arcanjo is a major doubt due to a leg injury, having missed Wednesday's training. However, left-back Sidny Lopes Cabral returns to the squad after serving a one-match suspension.
For Argentina, coach Lionel Scaloni is expected to restore Messi to the starting lineup. The captain started on the bench in their final group match against Jordan but came on to score his sixth goal of the tournament in a 3-1 win securing a perfect group-stage record. Scaloni now faces the challenge of selecting the right attacking lineup to break down a resilient Cape Verde defense and avoid what would be one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history.
