Argentina v Bosnia WC 2014

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TEAM NEWS​

Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain has been nursing an ankle problem and may miss out, which could mean they switch from a 4-3-3 system to a 5-3-2.
Fellow forward Rodrigo Palacio hurt his ankle in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago and is set to miss out.
Bosnia-Hercegovina boss Safet Susic may drop striker Vedad Ibisevic in order to bolster his midfield.
Susic hopes utility player Sejad Salihovic will be fit despite a minor injury.

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MATCH PREVIEW​

In a tournament already raining goals, don't expect this match to buck the trend. Both Argentina and Bosnia-Hercegovina scored at least 30 times in qualifying and are led by coaches for whom attack is the best form of defence.
The five strikers selected by Argentine coach Alejandro Sabella hit 124 club goals this season. Sabella usually prefers to start with three of them, with support from winger Angel Di Maria, who is shoehorned into the side as midfield playmaker.
The Fantastic Four give Argentina fearsome firepower, although Sabella admits selecting the quartet sometimes leave the side imbalanced. However, with Gonzalo Higuain potentially sidelined, the dilemma may be taken out of his hands, for the opening game at least.
Balance is also a concern for opposite number Safet Susic. The 59-year-old, who was part of the Yugoslavia side eliminated by Argentina at the 1990 World Cup, opted for cavalier tactics in qualifying.
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Team Profile: Bosnia-Hercegovina
However, his team were soundly beaten 2-0 by Argentina in a friendly last November - when the South Americans also missed a hatful of chances.
That display means Susic is likely to go 4-2-3-1, a formation they trialled successfully in recent warm-up wins against Ivory Coast and Mexico.
Manchester City's Edin Dzeko certainly has the qualities to play as a lone striker, and boasts a formidable international record, with 35 goals in 62 caps.
The Bosnians are the only debutants in Brazil, and will hope to become the first side to win their maiden World Cup match since Senegal shocked France in 2002.
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Can Lionel Messi achieve greatness in Brazil?
They may also take inspiration from Cameroon's famous victory against Argentina in 1990.
That is the last time La Albiceleste lost their opening game, although on that occasion they recovered to reach the semi-finals - something they have not done since.
With the likes of Neymar, Robin van Persie and Alexis Sanchez already off the mark in Brazil, all eyes will be on whether Lionel Messi can add to his solitary World Cup goal, scored in 2006.
He has looked a different figure since being handed the captaincy by Sabella. If he is to stamp his mark on this tournament there is no better place to start than the Maracana.

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MATCH FACTS​

Head-to-head
The Bosnians have lost their two previous matches against Argentina, both friendlies, without scoring.
A Gabriel Batistuta hat-trick helped the Argentines win 5-0 in Cordoba in 1998 - a result which remains Bosnia's heaviest defeat in international football.
The other meeting was in November last year when Sergio Aguero netted both goals in the US city of St Louis.

Argentina
Argentina have only won two of their last nine World Cup games against European sides (D4, L3 - with penalty shoot-outs counted as draws).
However, they have won won nine of their last 12 group games (D2, L1) at the tournament, scoring 24 goals and conceding just four times. Their only defeat in that sequence was against England in 2002.
Lionel Messi has only scored one goal in 571 minutes of World Cup football - against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006. He has found the net with one of 31 shots.
Argentina scored 35 times in World Cup qualifying - only Germany (36) managed more goals.

Bosnia-Hercegovina
They are the only debutants at the 2014 World Cup. The last debutants to win their first World Cup match was Senegal against France in 2002.
The Bosnians scored eight headed goals in qualifying - no European side managed more. Those headed goals were shared between Edin Dzeko and Vedad Ibisevic (four each).
Dzeko scored 10 times overall in qualifying, while Ibisevic hit eight goals. Robin van Persie (11) was the only European striker with a better record.
Zvjezdan Misimovic created more chances in qualifying (30) than any other Bosnian, including four assists.

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Argentina XI vs Bosnia & Herz: Romero; Rojo, Garay, Campagnaro, Zabaleta; Mascherano, Di Maria, Messi, Rodriguez, Fernandez, Aguero.

Bosnia & Herz. XI vs Argentina: Begovic, Bicakcic, Spahic, Kolasinac, Basic, Pjanic, Misimovic, Dzeko, Mujdza, Lulic, Hajrovic.