There's much more than Lio Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo as Argentina lock horns with Portugal. Both squads celebrated sound victories against World Champion Spain after South Africa.
Argentina and Portugal are eager to demonstrate that many things have changed since South Africa. Having already defeated Spain and Brazil in the last two friendly games, Albiceleste's coach Sergio Batista looks forward to defeat another European powerhouse at the Stade de Geneve.
Paulo Bento injected Portugal's National Football Team with a renewed spirit. Under his command Os Navegadores have only known success, defeating Iceland and Denmark for the Euro 2012 Qualifiers and reigning World Champion Spain "We want to win and play well. It is an important game to prepare the key qualifier against Norway in June" said Bento regarding this clash.
"This is all about Argentina and Portugal, individual duels are for the fans to enjoy" he added. Lio Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are chasing after each other to become Liga's top striker. The Portuguese international leads at the moment with 25 goals in 22 Liga caps, just one goal above Messi.
Gabriel Heinze and Martin Demichelis have been left out of the match day squad, as Batista has given local players an opportunity to show their worth with the Albiceleste. Olympic gold medal winner and presumed replacement for either Demichelis or Heinze Daniel Pareja might also be missing this clash, experiencing severe muscular pain in his right leg. "This game with Portugal will help us measure where we're standing" declared the defender.
Experienced Internazionale's winger Javier Zanetti plays a major role in Batista's scheme. Fellow Nerroazzuri's Diego Milito won't be able to perform, as he finished the lat game with Inter under intense muscular pain and Batista chose not to risk him for this game.
Messi, Pocho Lavezzi and Velez's Juan Manuel Martinez will be leading the attack, perhaps with young Javier Pastore's assistance as the main playmaker. An exciting game featuring world's top two players, who'll return home victorious?
Ricardo Quaresma returns to the European squad, joining Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo on the attack. Portugal's offense received a major boost with Bento, follower of a much more aggressive style than Carlos Queiroz."We have to bring out the best in Ronaldo within a team dynamic, and ensure they cannot do that with Messi" he said.
Barcelona's top scorer Lio Messi will be playing as a central forward, as Gauchos' coach wants to give room for the midfielders to control the ball and determine the pace of the game. Javier Mascherano and Esteban Cambiasso are among the favorites to provide more security in the back line while Napoli's Jose Sosa, Javier Pastore and Angel Di Maria multiply the offensive perspectives.
Di Maria himself will play a vital role in the development of the game, as he knows the Portuguese football better than anybody on the Argentinean squad. His partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the reasons why Real Madrid is still alive in the Spanish fight and he still has vivid memories of his time with Benfica.
His successor in the Lisbon squad, Nicolas Gaitan, is another important player to consider to dominate the midfield's fight.
Young goalkeeper Hugo Ventura has been called for the first time but it doesn't look like he'll be given a chance among the starting eleven. Real Madrid's Pepe and Ricardo Carvalho are both ruled out for this clash, giving Bruno Alves and perhaps Rolando an opportunity to defend Portugal's goal against Argentina's massive firepower.
Raul Meireles and João Moutinho will be responsible for building bridges between the defenders and the attackers. They'll have to outwit a packed midfield, focusing on overwhelming from the wings thanks to their superior speed.
Both Portugal and Argentina have been gaining a lot of momentum since the end of the World Championship. Argentina hosts the Copa America in four months and Batista wants to improve his record before it kicks off, while Portugal defines their future for the Euro 2012 in their next game, who'll succeed?
Paulo Bento injected Portugal's National Football Team with a renewed spirit. Under his command Os Navegadores have only known success, defeating Iceland and Denmark for the Euro 2012 Qualifiers and reigning World Champion Spain "We want to win and play well. It is an important game to prepare the key qualifier against Norway in June" said Bento regarding this clash.
"This is all about Argentina and Portugal, individual duels are for the fans to enjoy" he added. Lio Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are chasing after each other to become Liga's top striker. The Portuguese international leads at the moment with 25 goals in 22 Liga caps, just one goal above Messi.
Gabriel Heinze and Martin Demichelis have been left out of the match day squad, as Batista has given local players an opportunity to show their worth with the Albiceleste. Olympic gold medal winner and presumed replacement for either Demichelis or Heinze Daniel Pareja might also be missing this clash, experiencing severe muscular pain in his right leg. "This game with Portugal will help us measure where we're standing" declared the defender.
Experienced Internazionale's winger Javier Zanetti plays a major role in Batista's scheme. Fellow Nerroazzuri's Diego Milito won't be able to perform, as he finished the lat game with Inter under intense muscular pain and Batista chose not to risk him for this game.
Messi, Pocho Lavezzi and Velez's Juan Manuel Martinez will be leading the attack, perhaps with young Javier Pastore's assistance as the main playmaker. An exciting game featuring world's top two players, who'll return home victorious?
Ricardo Quaresma returns to the European squad, joining Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo on the attack. Portugal's offense received a major boost with Bento, follower of a much more aggressive style than Carlos Queiroz."We have to bring out the best in Ronaldo within a team dynamic, and ensure they cannot do that with Messi" he said.
Barcelona's top scorer Lio Messi will be playing as a central forward, as Gauchos' coach wants to give room for the midfielders to control the ball and determine the pace of the game. Javier Mascherano and Esteban Cambiasso are among the favorites to provide more security in the back line while Napoli's Jose Sosa, Javier Pastore and Angel Di Maria multiply the offensive perspectives.
Di Maria himself will play a vital role in the development of the game, as he knows the Portuguese football better than anybody on the Argentinean squad. His partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the reasons why Real Madrid is still alive in the Spanish fight and he still has vivid memories of his time with Benfica.
His successor in the Lisbon squad, Nicolas Gaitan, is another important player to consider to dominate the midfield's fight.
Young goalkeeper Hugo Ventura has been called for the first time but it doesn't look like he'll be given a chance among the starting eleven. Real Madrid's Pepe and Ricardo Carvalho are both ruled out for this clash, giving Bruno Alves and perhaps Rolando an opportunity to defend Portugal's goal against Argentina's massive firepower.
Raul Meireles and João Moutinho will be responsible for building bridges between the defenders and the attackers. They'll have to outwit a packed midfield, focusing on overwhelming from the wings thanks to their superior speed.
Both Portugal and Argentina have been gaining a lot of momentum since the end of the World Championship. Argentina hosts the Copa America in four months and Batista wants to improve his record before it kicks off, while Portugal defines their future for the Euro 2012 in their next game, who'll succeed?
