As the inquest begins into England’s World Cup exit, two of the favourites for the tournament play their second group matches on day 10 in Brazil still with high aspirations of making it to the final on July 13.
Lionel Messi (above) has played in two World Cups with Argentina and both have been frustrating experiences for the Barcelona man.
He’ll be out to make amends this time around as his side continue their group F campaign against Iran in Belo Horizonte.
With the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Sergio Aguero alongside Messi- coach Alejandro Sabella certainly isn’t short of attacking options.
In the second match, Germany and Ghana are meeting in the group stage for the second World Cup running after the Germans ran out narrow 1-0 winners four years ago.
That match threw up the interesting quirk that half-brothers Jerome and Kevin-Prince Boateng lined-up on opposing sides, Jerome for Germany and Kevin-Prince for Ghana – and they could well do again in this fixture in Fortaleza.
The final match of the day sees Group F rivals Nigeria and Bosnia and Herzegovina go head-to-head in Cuiaba.
The Super Eagles have been revitalised under the management of Stephen Keshi, who oversaw last year’s triumphant Africa Cup of Nations campaign and success in World Cup qualifying.
Bosnia and Herzegovina are the only debutants at the 2014 World Cup and are coached by Safet Susic, who played for Yugoslavia at Italia ’90.
The majority of his squad grew up outside of Bosnia, many of them having fled with their families when war broke out in the Balkans in the 1990s.
Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko provides their main goal threat, while Roma playmaker Miralem Pjanic is rated as one of the best midfielders in Italy.
You can watch all 64 matches from the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil live across the BBC and ITV, with live streaming available online across multiple platforms.
Visit our dedicated World Cup page – sport-onthebox.com/worldcup – for a full rundown of both channel’s comprehensive coverage of the tournament.
SOTB’s TV viewing guide to Day 10 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup:
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DAY 10: SATURDAY 21st JUNE
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| GROUP F LIVE: 4.00pm-7.15pm Venue: Belo Horizonte |
WATCH LIVE ONLINE via ITV PLAYER
The Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte plays host to Argentina’s second group match of the tournament against Iran.
The Argentines entered the tournament as odds-on favourites to top the group, and they are expected to overcome the Iranians this evening, despite not being at their best in their 2-1 opening win against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
However, Iran drew 0-0 with Nigeria in their first match and were impressive in qualifying under Carlos Queiroz, losing just two of their 16 matches.
The Portuguese boss has managed his native country and Real Madrid, as well as serving as Alex Ferguson’s assistant at Manchester United, and he will have hopes of leading his side to the knockout stages for the first time in the nation’s history.
In contrast to their opponents, Argentina have a rich history in this competition, lifting the trophy in 1978 and 1986 and consistently reaching the latter stages, and will expect to fare better than four years ago when they were thrashed 4-0 by Germany in the quarter-finals.
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| GROUP G LIVE: 7.30pm-10.10pm Venue: Fortaleza |
WATCH LIVE ONLINE via BBC iPLAYER
A clash of footballing cultures collide at the Estadio Castelao in Fortaleza as Germany take on Ghana.
Germany have already thrashed Portugal 4-0 in their opener, with Thomas Muller scoring a hat-trick, and the Black Stars lost 2-1 to the USA in what promises to be an intriguing battle for places in the last 16.
The sides also met in the group stage of the 2010 World Cup in a match that made history when half-brothers Jerome and Kevin Prince-Boateng became the first siblings to face each other in a World Cup match.
Jerome earned the bragging rights due to Germany recording a 1-0 win, but both teams progressed to the knockout rounds, where they produced some impressive performances.
The Germans handed out thrashings to both England and Argentina on their way to a 1-0 semi-final defeat against eventual champions Spain.
Meanwhile, the African outfit defeated the USA before suffering heartbreak in a penalty shootout against Uruguay in the quarter-finals, after Asamoah Gyan had missed from the spot in the last minute of extra time following Luis Suarez’s intentional handball.
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| GROUP F LIVE: 10.40pm-1.10am Venue: Cuiaba |
WATCH LIVE ONLINE via BBC iPLAYER
Day 10 concludes at the Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba as Nigeria play Bosnia-Herzegovina in the late kick-off.
The Bosnians lost their opener 2-1 to Argentina, while Nigeria were involved in the first draw of the tournament, a dull 0-0 affair against Iran.
Given the relatively recent existence of Bosnia-Herzegovina as an independent state, it is little surprise that this is the first competitive meeting between the sides.
While Argentina are the clear favourites to top the group, both of these countries will feel confident that they can also progress to the last 16, and both have players in their squads who will be familiar to fans of the Premier League.
Bosnia’s qualification saw them win eight of their 10 matches, with Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko leading the way with 10 goals, and Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic being a key part of a defence that conceded on just six occasions.
The Super Eagles reached the finals for the fifth time in their history following a play-off victory against Ethiopia, and their line-up for the second of those fixtures included Chelsea duo Jon Obi Mikel and Victor Moses.
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SPORT ON THE BOX’S COMPLETE WORLD CUP TV GUIDE
Saturday 21st June Match of the Day: World Cup Highlights – Day 9 10.00am-10.45am BBC Two ARGENTINA v IRAN Group F – Belo Horizonte | Kick-off: 17:00 LIVE: 4.00pm-7.15pm ITV GERMANY v GHANA Group G – Fortaleza | Kick-off: 20:00 LIVE: 7.30pm-10.10pm BBC One NIGERIA v BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA Group F – Cuiaba | Kick-off: 23:00 LIVE: 10.40pm-1.10am BBC One Match Replay: 2.15am-4.00am (Sun) BBC Two.
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