Argentina Defender : Nigeria Are Difficult Opponents But We Have Messi

FC Zenit Saint Petersburg's Argentina central defender Emanuel Mammana spoke on Friday about his country's group opponents at the 2018 World Cup and is wary of the Super Eagles.

The 21-year-old was on the bench in Krasnodar as Nigeria came back from two goals down to overcome the two-time world champions 4-2 on November 14.

''All the groups are difficult, Argentina has three very complicated rivals, with Nigeria we played recently, Iceland had a very good European Championship and Croatia is a country that always fights,'' Mammana told TyC Sports.

''We know that we have the best of the world on our team and that gives you peace of mind.

''We all want Argentina to be a champion and that Leo can win a World Cup, that is the only thing he lacks.''

Emanuel Mammana has earned three caps for the Argentinian national team since his first appearance against Slovenia in 2014.

Nigeria and Argentina face off for the fifth time in the group stage of the World Cup at Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg on June 26.

Igho Kingsley