It's hard to know which of these two sides will be happier given the way they performed in their last Group B outings. Greece stunned Nigeria, coming from a goal behind to claim a vital victory, this after many had written off their chances. Diego Maradona's Argentina, for their part, were breathtaking at times in their 4-1 demolition of Korea Republic. The South Americans look odds-on to qualify as group winners, but the race for second place is wide open, with Otto Rehhagel's side hoping to pip Korea Republic to the prize.
The match
Greece-Argentina, Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, Tuesday 22 June, 20.30 (local time)
It has been a near-perfect start for Argentina, who have taken the maximum six points from their opening two games, conceding just once in the process. The South Americans were guilty of one lapse in concentration against the South Koreans, but Diego Maradona's side remain arguably the most eye-catching side at South Africa 2010, thanks to their free-flowing attacking style. To the delight of purists, Lionel Messi has been in inspirational form so far, and while Gonzalo Higuain may top the scoring charts, it is the little Barcelona playmaker leading the way when it comes to testing opponent's defences, with 15 shots already to his name.
Greece have not enjoyed as flawless a start, but their unexpected defeat of Nigeria in Bloemfontein last Thursday has put them firmly in the fight for second place. Prior to that, the 2004 European champions had never scored a FIFA World Cup goal, let alone won a match at the tournament, so coach Rehhagel will barely need to deliver a team-talk in Polokwane. To that end, the Southern Europeans will look to keep it simple against the two-time world champions. Greek scorer Torosidis declared after the win against Nigeria: "I don't care what happens now. I'm just delighted for the team, and for the fans who never stopped believing in us." And that release of pressure could prove to be their most dangerous weapon.
Players to watch
Gonzalo Higuain v Georgios Samaras
Gonzalo Higuain is riding high, having claimed the first hat-trick of the tournament, and the first FIFA World Cup treble in eight years, against Korea Republic. It was a display that earned him the Budweiser Man of the Match Award, so the Real Madrid star heads into this game brimming with confidence and doubtless with one eye already on the adidas Golden Boot. His eight shots on target so far dwarfs the two of Celtic striker Georgios Samaras, who is yet to get off the mark in South Africa 2010. However, Samaras made a significant impact after coming off the bench against the Super Eagles, stretching the Africans' defence with his pace and powerful running and causing problems in the air. The Celtic striker will now look to join team-mates Dimitrios Salpingidis and Vasileios Torosidis in the goalscoring charts by finding the net against Argentina.
The stat
404 - the number of minutes Greece had gone without a FIFA World Cup goal before Dimitrios Salpingidis's 44th-minute strike against Nigeria.
What they said
"Argentina are world-class, they're clearly better than us. We still have a chance, but it'll be very hard. We're the underdogs against Argentina, that's for sure, but we'll give it our best shot. For now, we'll just enjoy the fact we've beaten Nigeria," Otto Rehhagel, Greece coach.
"Argentina are a team who go forward. We have good players, attacking players. We must go out on the attack and show our class. We must get forward and put our opponents under pressure," Carlos Tevez, Argentina forward.
fifa.com
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