Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni is hoping for more of the same from his team, even if Lionel Messi will be on the bench against Jordan.
Messi has scored all five of Argentina’s goals so far at the World Cup, with two victories enough to see them through as Group J winners.
The reigning world champions go into Saturday’s clash with already-eliminated Jordan knowing they will take on tournament debutants Cape Verde in the round of 32.
And Scaloni will take the chance to rest Messi, who turned 39 this week.
“Leo will be a substitute tomorrow, to play later,” Scaloni said ahead of the match at Dallas Stadium.
“The decision of who starts is not in relation to the opponent we’ll face in the next round.”
Messi leads Argentina for chances created (four), through balls (four), line-breaking passes in the final third (11), completed dribbles (three) and progressive carries (22).
¡Feliz cumple, Leo! Simplemente, gracias. pic.twitter.com/9Hkb3ssOZC
— 🇦🇷 Selección Argentina (@Argentina) June 24, 2026
He is now the all-time record scorer in World Cup history, having moved onto 18 goals, two clear of Miroslav Klose and Kylian Mbappe.
Scaloni, though, is hoping Argentina’s supporting cast will step up with Messi on the bench.
“The hope is that the team will play the same way. That’s what we’re going to try to do,” Scaloni added.
“Jordan is a good opponent, and we’re not taking anything for granted. We’ll try to tweak some aspects of the last match, but with the same intention of controlling the ball and dominating the opponent.
“When playing with this shirt, it doesn’t matter the moment, the need for points or not; this shirt means going out to play and doing it well, always trying to win. That’s why we maintain the same way and anxiety as the first day.”
Argentina are unbeaten in their last eight World Cup matches (W6 D2).
This is now their longest ever run in the competition under the same coach, overtaking the seven-game streak under Carlos Salvador Bilardo in 1986; the previous time Argentina lifted the trophy before 2022.
Jordan, who were ranked 68th coming into this tournament, will be aiming to become the lowest-ranked team ever to beat the defending champions at the World Cup. The current lowest was a 2018 victory by South Korea (57th), who beat Germany 2-0 in the group stage that year.
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