Argentina Face Austria in Dallas Showdown as Messi Chases World Cup History

Suggesting Lionel Messi would bag a hat-trick in Argentina's World Cup opener sounds like the sort of daft prediction your mate down the pub would make after a few pints. Yet there it was – a glorious treble in a 3-0 demolition of Algeria, serving as a timely reminder that the defending champions are genuine contenders for a fourth global crown.

Austria, meanwhile, laboured to a 3-1 victory against World Cup debutants Jordan in their opener, a far less convincing affair despite matching Argentina's goal tally.

Match Details

The two nations collide at Dallas Stadium on Monday, June 22, with kick-off scheduled for 6pm BST (midday local time). BBC One will broadcast the action from 5.30pm, whilst BBC Radio 5 Live and talkSPORT offer full commentary coverage.

Argentina's Setup

Boss Lionel Scaloni faces a tempting prospect: stick with the winning formula. That would see Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez continue his partnership with Cristian Romero at centre-back – a pairing plucked entirely from the Premier League. Meanwhile, Julian Alvarez remains on the fringes after missing the Algeria clash and looks destined for another spell among the substitutes.

Austria's Considerations

Marko Arnautovic made quite an entrance off the bench against Jordan, having a goal disallowed by VAR before sealing victory from the penalty spot. The veteran will be pushing for a starting berth, hoping to edge out Sasa Kalajdzic for a place in the XI.

The Betting Market

Argentina are installed as 4/7 favourites to claim back-to-back wins, with Austria at 9/2 and the draw priced at 13/5. In Group J terms, Argentina sit at just 1/12 to top the section, whilst Austria are 6/1. In the tournament outright betting, Argentina are fourth favourites at 8/1 to retain their crown.

What to Expect

Messi landing another hat-trick sits at 33/1 – a fantasy bet for dreamers and taxi drivers alike. At 38 years old, the Inter Miami magician may well see limited action as Scaloni carefully manages his resources with potentially seven matches still to play.

However, Messi opening the scoring at 10/3 represents far more realistic value. A goal would see him surpass Germany's Miroslav Klose to become the outright leading scorer in men's World Cup history, currently level on 16 goals.

With the Argentina camp riding high on Messi's brilliance, expect the defending champions to dispatch a modest Austria outfit with room to spare. Back them to win by two goals at 7/2.