"There is no pressure" - Argentina star makes bold claims ahead of crucial FIFA World Cup match against Mexico
Argentina striker Lautaro Martinez has claimed that there is no pressure on the side ahead of their FIFA World Cup Group C clash with Mexico.
Lionel Scaloni's men need a result against el Tricolor after suffering a shock 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their opening game of the tournament.
La Albiceleste took the lead through Lionel Messi's first-half penalty but were stunned by Saleh Alshehri and Salem Aldasawari's second-half strikes.
Despite there appearing to be a ton of pressure on his side to bounce back against Mexico, Martinez argues that isn't the case.
He claimed that his side are confident of securing a win over Mexico on Saturday, 26 November, saying (via Roy Nemer):
"There is no pressure because we rely, we are confident, we have trust in the coaching staff, trust in every player and we are keeping our calm. Yes, we were sad about the opening match but now we are thinking about Mexico. We are confident".
Lautaro Martínez: “For us, Maradona is a very important person, we remember him in the best way. It is a sad day for everyone and hopefully we can make him happy tomorrow.”
🇦🇷 Lautaro Martínez: “For us, Maradona is a very important person, we remember him in the best way. It is a sad day for everyone and hopefully we can make him happy tomorrow.” https://t.co/PZnBpWxP1o
Argentina were the in-form team heading into the FIFA World Cup tournament, unbeaten in 36 matches.
They clash with a Mexican side that settled on a 0-0 draw in their opener.
Gerardo Martino's men have lost just four times in 18 matches across all competitions in 2022.
However, they have been defeated on three occasions in their last six fixtures.
Argentina are favorites to win the FIFA World Cup, according to England legend Joe Cole
Former England international Cole touted the South Americans as the favorites to win the FIFA World Cup ahead of the tournament.
The ex-Chelsea midfielder felt that Messi had looked the happiest he had been in La Albiceleste colors for a long time.
He also cited their impressive 3-0 win over Italy in Finalissima in June.
Cole said (via Eurosport):
“Argentina are the favourites for me. I watched them in the Finalissima against Italy and they were brilliant, they took a good Italy team apart."
Alluding to Messi's mood heading into the competition, he continued:
“Messi looks happy again in an Argentina shirt. To lift the [Copa America] trophy was a massive weight off his shoulders, he was always getting hit with the stick that he hasn’t done it for the national team – he’s done it now."
Cole concluded:
“They look like a happy camp with lots of world-class players. This is the best Argentina team I've seen for at least 15 years."
Lionel Messi - The Last Dance.
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