Argentina Captain, Lionel Messi says he dreads being drawn in the same group with Spain in the 2018 FIFA World Cup billed to take place in Russia. Argentina after struggling to qualify for the tournament, thanks to Messi's heroic performance against Ecuador on the last matchday of qualification are in pot 1.
According to Marca, Messi considers Spain a more difficult opponent that could hinder their chances of progressing to the next round of the tournament. "I would prefer to avoid Spain in the group stage because they are a very difficult opponent," he told reporters.
Argentina are billed to lock horns with the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Russian national team in the coming FIFA international break. Ahead of the matches, Messi has debunked claims that he plays the role of a player-coach in the Argentina team by selecting his national team's squad or coach.
"When they talk about Messi's friends I laugh. They say that I put coaches or players in the Argentina side and it is a lie"
"We could not miss the World Cup, but we did suffer. Each time I went back to Barcelona, I was always going over the numbers for what had to happen for us to qualify for the World Cup."
