Eckel: You can't take your eyes off Messi

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When Philipp Lahm and his team-mates walk out onto the pitch at the Estadio do Maracana in Rio de Janeiro for the 2014 World Cup Final on Sunday, one of Germany's greatest footballing heroes, Horst Eckel, will be glued to his TV set and doubtless reminded of his own World Cup Final experience. 

In 1954, he was the youngest player in the West German Miracle of Bern squad that defeated a practically unbeatable Hungary side 3-2 to give the German Football Association its very first World Cup crown. 

60 years and nine days later, Eckel is now willing the current black, red and gold generation to make history once more in Brazil. “I believe the lads can do it. We’ve already got a slightly better chance. The team have got into a good rhythm,” the 82-year-old said when FIFA.com approached him for comment a few days before Sunday’s big game. He also warned: “It’s no coincidence that Argentina have reached the Final. They haven’t got a bad team either, and our boys will have to watch Lionel Messi for 90 minutes. You can't take your eyes off a player like that for a second.”

A remarkably poor start
Eckel believes that Germany have a truly strong team without any real weaknesses, “much like us back in 1954.” That year, the omens before that final showdown with the Mighty Magyars were anything but positive. “It was difficult for us to travel to Switzerland back then, because in 1954 Germany was not recognised in political, economic or sporting terms,” the former Kaiserslautern midfielder recalled to FIFA.com. “But we didn’t go there and just try not to lose; we wanted to play well and play for Germany.” 

National coach Josef Herberger’s team progressed to the quarter-finals after two wins over Turkey and a bitter 8-3 thrashing by Hungary in the group stage. A 2-0 victory over Yugoslavia in the last eight was a breakthrough moment for the West German side. “After that, we realised that we could go far, but the prospect of becoming world champions was still a long way off,” Eckel explained. “At that point in time, reaching the semi-finals was an incredible achievement for us.” A brilliant 6-1 triumph over Austria followed.

The Final itself got off to an inauspicious start as Die Mannschaft conceded two early goals. “After that, a jolt went through the team. It came from [goalkeeper] Toni Turek right through to our strikers, saying: ‘Come on lads, we can’t lose that badly again.’ When we scored to make it 2-1, we realised that we had a chance even against this formidable Hungary team. For me, the 2-2 equaliser was the most important goal of all. We went in level at half-time and said to ourselves: ‘We’ve turned around a 2-0 deficit against Hungary, now we can become world champions too – and we want to be world champions!”

‘Hoch auf dem gelben Wagen’
The rest of the story is well-known. Helmut Rahn scored in the 84th minute to make it 3-2 and give Germany their first World Cup title – and the Miracle of Bern was born. “Of course, we were overjoyed and embraced each other, but we didn’t take our shirts off and throw them into the crowd or spray each other with beer like you see today – it just didn’t happen in our day,” the retired teacher said. “Then we went into the dressing room and sat down as if we’d lost the match. Every single one of us sat there and thought: ‘Are we really world champions? What will happen when we go home?’ At that point, Herberger brought us to our senses, saying: ‘What’s wrong with you all? Don’t you realise you’ve won the World Cup? Let’s sing.’ We always sang the folk song ‘Hoch auf dem gelben Wagen’ [‘High up on the yellow wagon’] with Herberger. After that we were fine, and then we got louder and carried on singing. It was like a dream.”

Despite eventually realising the scale of their achievement, the entire team was still overwhelmed by the reception they received on their triumphant return, as they were greeted and cheered by hundreds of thousands of jubilant people across the country. “As we weren’t recognised by the rest of the world, we didn’t realise what the mood was like in Germany,” said Eckel. “We only realised when we got back. That’s when we knew we’d done something small to help Germany get back on its feet. We were very proud of that.”

How does your life change when you become a world champion? “We probably wouldn’t be having this interview now if I hadn’t won the World Cup,” Eckel says to FIFA.com with a smile. He and Hans Schafer are now the only two surviving members of the team of 1954. “If it weren’t for that win, I’d just be one of a huge number of former footballers. It’s a great honour to be a world champion, but you shouldn’t get carried away afterwards; you’ve got to keep your feet on the ground. But the pride of winning a title like that never goes away.”

Eckel now believes that Joachim Low’s team are capable of experiencing that same feeling of pride. “We have a very good team, just like back in 1954,” the 82-year-old said. “We’re strong in both attack and defence. I can only say good things about this side, and I hope that they’ll play better than ever on Sunday because it’s the Final.”

Beckham backs Messi to decide Final

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David Beckham is thrilled to see Lionel Messi feature in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ Final and is backing the Argentina star to lead his team to victory. Messi has often faced criticism that he has not reproduced his Barcelona form on the international stage, but has played a key role as La Albiceleste progressed to Sunday's final against Germany.

"He's amazing," Beckham said in an interview on Adidas football's YouTube channel. "He gives people so much pleasure with the way he plays and what makes him special is he plays as a team-mate as well, a good team player. He's got great individual skill, but winning means everything to him. If other team-mates score goals he's the first one there to celebrate with them and I think that says a lot about him.

"Playing for Argentina, I'm sure there's a certain amount of pressure, but going as far as they've gone is incredible. It means so much to him, his family and everyone else around the world, the fact Messi's going to be playing on this stage."

Having been reluctant to offer a prediction for the final, Beckham - who will be at the game with his children - eventually tipped Argentina to triumph 3-1. He said: "It's just amazing that these two teams have come together. Germany came to the tournament with great experience, people are not too surprised they've got as far as this. There's no particular star, they've just a great group that play well together. Argentina have a group of talented players who play with a lot of passion, but Lionel, I'm just excited to see him play."

Winning means everything to him. If other team-mates score goals he's the first one there to celebrate with them and I think that says a lot about him.

David Beckham on Argentina's Lionel Messi

Reviewing the tournament as a whole, Beckham relished the emergence of new teams and players on the world stage - none more so than Colombia and James Rodriguez. "It's been a great World Cup. The fact you've seen teams like Costa Rica and Colombia perform the way they have and some great young players coming out of the competition, it's been great to see," he said.

Rodriguez was included among the nominees for FIFA's player of the tournament award after scoring six goals in Colombia's five games, most memorably a superb volley on the turn against Uruguay in the last 16. Beckham said: "His goal for me was one of the best of the tournament - as a young player, to have that thought, the way he moved into the ball, the way he turned and struck the ball.

"I've heard about him quite a few times and people told me he was a great talent, but to come on to the world stage at his age and play the way he's played, says how talented he is. I think he's got a great future. He's such a talented player and he's a good-looking kid as well, he's got the whole package."

Muller versus Messi in numbers

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On track for a second consecutive adidas Golden Boot, Germany’s Thomas Muller is the leading light in Joachim Low’s side. With his fifth goal of these finals against Brazil, he took his place among a fabulous five of his countrymen (Miroslav Klose, Gerd Muller, Jurgen Klinsmann and Helmut Rahn) to reach double figures at the FIFA World Cup™.

There is one undisputed star for Argentina. The four-time FIFA Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi hopes to take his place among the pantheon of World Cup greats with an Argentina win in the Maracana. Will it be La Albiceleste’s No10 or Die Nationalmannschaft’s No13 who take the honours? FIFA.com takes a look at the numbers behind the stars ahead of their World Cup Final showdown.

Height
Thomas Muller: 186cm
Lionel Messi: 169cm
Muller towers above Messi, standing at a little over 6ft tall, and he is also above the average height for players at Brazil 2014 (182cm). The diminutive Argentinian maestro famously took growth hormones on his arrival at Barcelona in his early teens, but still grew to just 5ft 7ins. This makes him two inches taller than his idol and Argentina’s last legendary No10 Diego Maradona, who knows all about handling the biggest of pressures despite the shortest of frames. “Is the pressure of carrying the hopes of a nation overpowering?” Maradona asked the Times of India recently. "No-one knows it better than Messi.”

Date of birth
Thomas Muller: 13 September 1989 (24 years old)
Lionel Messi: 24 June 1987 (27 years old)
Incredibly, Muller made his Germany debut just three months before South Africa 2010 kicked off and, at the age of 20, picked up the adidas Golden Boot and Hyundai Young Player Award at that tournament. This time around, he brings a wealth of experience, having won most major trophies in the domestic game with Bayern Munich. Almost three years his senior, Messi is playing at his third World Cup, having made his international debut in 2005. It was widely discussed before Brazil 2014 that Messi, who will turn 31 at the next finals, is in the prime of his career and will never have a better opportunity to truly shine on the global stage.

Squad number
Thomas Muller: 13
Lionel Messi: 10
Germany’s No13 this year will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of his namesake Gerd, who not only won the Golden Boot but also won the World Cup during his time as the main man in the German line-up. Thomas was handed the jersey after previous incumbent Michael Ballack was injured in the build-up to South Africa 2010. He relished having the shirt on his back, with that adidas Golden Boot in his first global finals. Messi also feels the weight of expectation due to previous occupants of his chosen number. Diego Maradona and the current Albiceleste No10 are the topic of much discussion as to which is the top player to have worn the coveted jersey. Maradona holds the advantage in the eyes of plenty of Argentines due to his World Cup win in 1986. Can Messi match him this year?

Record in Brazil 2014 qualifying
Thomas Muller: 4 goals in 10 games
Lionel Messi: 10 goals in 14 games
Germany scored the highest number of goals in European qualifying, with 36 shared out between ten different scorers. Muller was joined on four goals by Mario Gotze, Miroslav Klose and Andre Schurrle while Marco Reus and Mesut Ozil were the only Germans who scored more than Muller. Messi got the second-highest tally of goals in the entire Brazil 2014 qualifying campaign with only Deon McCaulay, Robin van Persie and Luis Suarez bagging more qualifying strikes than the prolific Barça man. It was no surprise that La Pulga grabbed a brace in the 5-2 win over Paraguay that saw his side book their ticket to Brazil.

Brazil 2014 goals (up to and including the semi-final)
Thomas Muller: 5
Lionel Messi: 4
There was a significantly-sized monkey on Messi’s back going into the tournament. He had not scored a World Cup goal in eight years since his sole strike at the 2006 finals, in which he became the youngest Argentinian World Cup goalscorer. The impatient Maracana crowd watched on in his side’s opening Brazil 2014 game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Messi delivered after the hour mark, driving past several defenders before smashing in off the post. He then scored one of the most memorable goals of the tournament, a long-range curler which broke down Iran’s stubborn defence. On top of that pair, he grabbed a brace in his side’s final Group F game against Nigeria which included a sublime free-kick.

Muller started with a bang, grabbing a hat-trick in his side’s opening 4-0 victory against Portugal. The devastating attacking performance by Germany set the tone for the rest of the tournament, and Muller was at the forefront, converting a penalty, lashing home a left-footed effort and poking home from close range. He then grabbed the decisive strike in his side’s final Group G match against USA before getting the ball rolling in Belo Horizonte, scoring his side’s first in their 7-1 demolition of Brazil.

Check out the World Cup statistics centre to compare these two, or any other players at the tournament, with detailed comparison analysis, including passes completed and distance covered, at your fingertips.

Santana: Messi looks like a plumber

Carlos Santana has a global music sensation, who has performed for almost half a century, the world delight crowds with his own brand of Latin-infused rock and spelling binding traveled guitar solos. Born in Mexico, before much of his life in the United States, the man is known as one of the greatest guitarists ever onstage before millions of football fans around the world before 2014 FIFA World Cup leaving final Brazil ™. Before his performance, he sat down with FIFA.com , football, to talk music and why he admires Lionel Messi.

FIFA.com: Are your earliest memories of football, what Carlos?
Carlos Santana: Oh, in Autlán, Jallisco, where I was born, there were two things that were important to me: football and Toros - Bull fight. It was the first time I saw so many people in the city, the four or five hours away from Guadalajara, so football and Los Toros were the first things I remember as large events myself, when I was a kid.

Have you been the World Cup enjoyed while you here in Brazil?
It is incredible to see the concentration and determination the passion. Something supernatural happens. It is wonderful to see, a global event with some many people emotionally invested. It is a beautiful thing to see people and unity. We want unity and harmony in this beautiful game and good luck.

Which player has attracted your attention?
At the moment I Messi has a mystique about him think he has the thing road [football]. I don't think he even really looks as a footballer he looks like a plumber to me! It is as much a compliment, because if he concentrated, I admire the gift he has. Because it is a God-given gift in the upper echelons of the greatest [players].

You were born in Mexico, but spent a large part of your life in the United States have. Who do you support when the two play?
I rather support much, while America Mexico, because it a new team and something new for them. I grew up mostly with tennis and basketball. Because of basketball and Arthur Ash tennis because Dr. J (Julius Irving). Now there are five teams, the I root: Mexico, Brazil, Cameroon, Spain and United States.

It for you at the final carry meaning?
It is a great pleasure. I am very grateful. I play soccer itself, but what we know is very powerful, because we learned an energy that we bring a long time ago by Woodstock, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye and John Lennon. We represent this energy. If we do not we play lip. It is not made of plastic or cute. It's not Hollywood. I'm from the ghetto, so when we play, feel a different kind of supernatural power. We're so many. Not only in Mexico, not just America, we represent the entire family on this planet.

With this passion that you show how played play at the Maracana compare with other places that you have?
It's like the Vatican of football. This is my third time to play and something happens here, where it seems like heaven and Earth [gather], with the energy inside.

Finally, who do you the final will win?
I think Germany will win. I would like to see Argentina win, because I live in America, but it's not going to happen. It is not impossible, but it is not likely. It is not impossible, because I because Messi love, but my German brethren - we are all family an additional element of clarity and concentration. , If they play really fast you must think more slowly, such as musicians, but if you play slow, you have to think really fast. You understand that. Also the way how you breathe, operated not by the terror, it is not fear, it is not debilitating or stiff. Like when a woman has a baby they change their breathing and relax. At an event like the World Cup, you have to learn to breathe properly, or you'll get tired very easily. I think, my German brethren, who understand that. When I saw what they were doing in Brazil, [I saw that] they were a team and they are not subject of a superstar to win. They are a collective. It is very difficult to beat a team with superstars - the team always wins. This is my perception.

Calderon: Messi key to Final success

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The Final of the 1990 FIFA World Cup Italy™ remains fresh in the memory for former Argentina player Gabriel Calderon, which is understandable given the significance of the game to him.

Victorious alongside Diego Maradona at the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship and a World Cup debutant at Spain 1982, the ex-midfielder reached the pinnacle of his 18-year career in that Final 24 years ago, running out at Rome’s Estadio Olimpico in place of Jorge Burruchaga with 37 minutes remaining.

Now a vastly experienced coach, the 54-year-old Calderon is a member of the FIFA Technical Study Group, which is analysing the action on the pitch at Brazil 2014. Breaking off from those duties, he discussed his Italy 1990 Final memories with FIFA.com and looked forward to Sunday’s repeat meeting between Germany and Argentina.

FIFA.com: What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you look back on the Final of Italy 1990?
Gabriel Calderon: A lot of things all at once. There was the joy of beating Italy to reach the Final, and then the five days before it, which seemed to go on and on. Getting to sleep was not easy at all. I was so anxious waiting to know whether we'd be world champions or not.

What’s it like to play in a World Cup Final?
It’s big. A lot of things go through your mind, but it’s something you can’t really get your head around. At the time you just see a full stadium and your opponents facing you. It’s just another game to you. But a few years later you start to realise what it all meant.

What do you remember of the match itself?
That we didn’t have much left in the tank. We had four first-teamers out through suspension, Diego [Maradona] had an ankle that was giving him real problems and Burruchaga wasn’t in great shape either. They went into the game a lot stronger, but we put up a good fight against them all the same. It was a tough match and not a very good one. We didn’t let them play their game. We knew we were going to have the odd chance, and one came our way with the penalty on me that was never given. Then, five minutes later they were awarded a penalty. It was obviously going to end that way, with a free-kick, a corner or a penalty. And they got it.

How does that game compare to the Brazil 2014 Final?
So many years have gone by that it’s hard to compare the two. One similarity is that we also had the best player in the world back then, though Diego was really struggling with his injuries. He played because of his character, but physically he wasn’t on the same level as before. And while [Lionel] Messi’s not playing like a 'Playstation player', as I call him, he’s in pretty good shape and we’re not missing anyone, even if [Sergio] Aguero and [Angel] Di Maria are both carrying injuries. This Argentina side is in better shape than the 1990 one.

In those finals you usually came on from the bench. How do you rate Alejandro Sabella’s substitutes?
Argentina has a good bench. [Martin] Demichelis, [Lucas] Biglia and [Enzo] Perez proved that by coming on to do a good job against Switzerland. It also depends on how fit Aguero and Di Maria are. They’re both very important players. Having them fit and healthy can give you a lot of options up front.

Both sides feature players who appeared in Germany’s 4-0 defeat of Argentina in South Africa four years ago. Do you think we might see a repeat of a result like that here? 
Anything is possible in football, but if you ask me Argentina played a very open game that day, which played into Germany’s hands. They also got the early goal too. I can’t imagine this game panning out the same way. Argentina are playing very well as a unit and I can’t see them conceding a lot of goals.

Germany did put seven past Brazil in the semi-finals, however. Can a result like that affect the mindset of the Argentina players?
No, it can have the opposite effect. Argentinians are born competitors, as you’ve seen here. When they realised that Messi wasn't going to do it on their own, they changed. The team were aware of that and they’ve become more compact, which shows how professional they are. They’ve also got people up front who can cause you problems. The turning point came against Switzerland but they went out and did it again against Belgium and the Netherlands. Germany will have to work very, very hard to beat Argentina.

What will be the key to the game?
Messi’s contribution is going to be vital for Argentina. Germany are not an easy side to contain. After all, here they are playing like a South American team, but with the mindset and physical prowess of a German one. If we’re going to hurt them, we need Leo to be at his very best and for him to get help from everyone – from (Gonzalo) Higuain, Perez, Di Maria and everyone else. The key’s going to be Messi, though.

Are you a good spectator?
If I’m not directly involved in a game, then I’m usually pretty relaxed when I’m watching. I really suffered watching the last two games, though, and I guess I’ll be suffering even more watching the Final.

Do you have a prediction for us?
I’m terrible at predicting results, so I don’t I’m afraid. On paper Germany are going into the game the stronger of the two sides, but finals are always 50/50. Argentina will compete very well – that I am sure of.

Messi magic takes Argentina through

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A stunning injury-time goal by Lionel Messi has taken Argentina through to the Round of 16 with a 1-0 win over Iran in Belo Horizonte's Estadio Mineirao. The Barcelona star's late, late winner keeps La Albiceleste top of Group F on six points and leaves the Iranians stuck on one, with Nigeria and Bosnia and Herzegovina set to meet in the section's late kick-off.

Prior to Messi's timely intervention, the match had been a tale of domination and frustration for Alejandro Sabella's side, with a goal remaining elusive due to Iran's determined defending. Gonzalo Higuain had been promoted to starting line-up and he started the game well, setting up first Angel Di Maria and then Sergio Aguero for efforts on goal, the second of which forced an acrobatic save from Alireza Haghighi.

Messi again looked subdued during the opening 45, with his only attempt coming on 33 minutes when he curled a free-kick just over the top right-hand corner. The Argentina captain then set up his team's best chance of the half four minutes later, crossing for Ezequiel Garay, who headed wastefully over from inside the six-yard box.

Iran, meanwhile, spent much of the match with all 11 players behind the ball, although they did offer a threat at set-pieces. They could, in fact, have gone into the interval 1-0 up only for Jalal Hosseini to head inches over after rising highest to meet Ashkan Dejagah's outswinging corner.

Carlos Queiroz's side also carved out a golden opportunity at the start of the second half, when Reza Ghoochannejad's header forced an excellent reflex stop from Sergio Romero after tremendous build-up play by Masoud Shojaei. Romero was again called into action midway through the half, pulling off a magnificent one-handed tip-over after Dejagah had beaten Pablo Zabaleta to bullet a header towards goal. Argentina remained the game's dominant force, though, and came close to breaking the deadlock on the hour-mark when Messi surged forward from midfield and curled a left-foot shot just wide of Haghighi's left-hand post.

However, their efforts became increasingly desperate as Iran's defence held firm, with Marcos Rojo's wayward long-range effort typical of their speculative late attempts. Indeed, Iran could have snatched a win at the death, with Ghoochannejad racing through and firing in a left-foot shot that was heading for the corner before Romero got across to tip wide.

Then, however, Messi provided yet another reminder of his genius. Picking up the ball in a seemingly unthreatening position wide on the right, he cut inside and, from 25 yards, curled an unstoppable left-foot shot into the far corner of the net. With 91 minutes showing on the clock, Argentina - thanks again to their incomparable captain - had won.

Neymar: Messi and I dreams of final

Messi inspires Argentina, Swiss win of late drama

The day review -on the fourth day of the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 ™ has been in line with three, the previous offer many destinations, incredible incidents, and major stars, the its brand.

There is nothing, the football fans love more than a comeback summoned pulled exactly that in Brasilia, defeated Ecuador in the with a last-minute goal and Switzerland stoppage time after the break.

In the other group E France meet, the perfect start for your Brazil 2014 campaign by triumphing over a physical, rugged Honduras page, courtesy of a clinical performance from Karim Benzema.

Last but not least, Argentina confirmed that the power be taken into account, at the tournament, see arise from Bosnia and Herzegovina in an exciting and vibrant, individual effort opened his account while the fine with a Lionel Messi.

Results
Switzerland 2: 1-Ecuador (Budweiser man of the match: Xherdan Shaqiri)
France 3-0 Honduras (Budweiser man of the match: Karim Benzema)
Argentina 2: 1-Bosnia and Herzegovina (Budweiser man of the match: Lionel Messi)

Unforgettable moments
Bank bonus: Xherdan Shaqiri can Budweiser have been named man of the match, but Switzerland had the decisive goals come due their deputies to their hard-won victory over Ecuador, Admir Mehmedi and Haris Seferovic from the Bank. With his team, which had the following 1-0 Enner Valencia header Ottmar Hitzfeld the foresight, Mehmedi shortly after half-time, to introduce a confidence vote, which the Freiburg striker to compensate two minutes later repaid. Salih needed more time to get on the scoreboard in the 75th minute and in injury time for a 2-1-to seal victory. Interestingly, all three Swiss hero - Shaqiri, Mehmedi and Salih - have connections in the former Yugoslavia. Shaqiri and Mehmedi were both as born, Seferovics family moved to Bosnia and Herzegovina the Switzerland of what now is in the 1980s.

Bothersome benchmark: Against Argentina Sead Kanta was a new record, which he does not necessarily want any time soon are remembered. With two minutes and 9 seconds on the clock the Bosnian defenders went the ball into his own net after a Lionel Messi free-kick to knock always the fastest own goal - scorer in World Cup history in the process. Here he takes the place of Carlos Gamarra, the previous holder in the enviable record a David Beckham free-kick his own goalkeeper in the third minute England facing Paraguay in 2006 in Germany controlled. Kanta's 'Strike' is the third own goal of Brazil 2014, starting from Marcelo in Brazil's opening match with Croatia and the Honduras ' keeper of Noel Valladares against France.

Benzema bosses the show: if its first half penalty against Honduras received France, Karim Benzema shouldered its responsibility, as should any good No10. The Real Madrid striker chose the ball firmly to right of the goalie, plants, exactly, how Zinedine Zidane once scored France's tenth World Cup penalty at his time. The similarities with the former Bleus legend to do has not been completed. Benzema doubled his tally in the second half and was the first Frenchman Zidane's double whammy since Zizou to a curly brace in a World Cup match result, after his country to victory over Brazil in 1998 helped France in the final. In his debut world finals, Benzema put the disappointment of his goalless show at UEFA EURO 2012 really behind him.

The stat
5 Honduras have now five consecutive World Cup games without a goal, an unwanted run that brings them finalists Algeria with Bolivia and colleagues Brazil 2014. Before lost four years in South Africa, La bicolor two and moved without the back of the net, their ultimate goal in the competition in a 1: 1 draw against Northern Ireland in Spain 1982 finding. The result was a 0-1-defeat in Yugoslavia, the beginning of their goalless strips.

Tweet of the day

Good luck my friends @youridjorkaeff @Benzema @HugoLlorisOffi @ LizaDoBrazil #tousensemble #CDM2014 #allezfrancepic.twitter.com/VzNQ1RHBp1

-Cris Oficial (@ZagueiroCris) June 15, 2014

Next
Germany Portugal, 13:00, arena Fonte Nova, Salvador
Iran-Nigeria, 16:00, arena de Baixada, Curitiba
Ghana United States, 19:00, Estádio das Dunas, natal

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Maradona: Messi should take things easy

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Lionel Messi takes centre stage in the FIFA World Cup™ on Sunday, facing Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Maracanã with dreams of returning to the stadium for the Final in four weeks' time.

Argentina arrive in Rio de Janeiro with expectations running high, not least that Messi will produce the kind of displays that were absent in South Africa four years ago. Diego Maradona is among those who believes that his injury-enforced break for three months last season should benefit Argentina, who are playing in the heartland of Brazil, their neighbours and most bitter rivals.

"I see Messi doing well. I think it was good for him to have a proper rest because he had gone four years hardly missing a match," Maradona said in Buenos Aires newspaper Ole. "I'd really like to speak to him now, and tell him to take things easy, not to listen to the idiots. There are a lot of them, unfortunately."

Argentina have a wonderfully-talented attack, so much so that coach Alejandro Sabella could afford to leave Carlos Tevez out of his squad. However, there are still question marks at the back, something readily admitted by Maradona who coached Argentina in 2010.

The team has more experience now, and that is very important in the World Cup.

Diego Maradona

He said: "We are looking good in attack but I am a bit worried about the defence, to be honest. But the team has more experience now [than in 2010], and that is very important in the World Cup."

That attacking strength is however causing a dilemma for coach Sabella. He has admitted that he favours a 5-3-2 formation, but he used a 4-3-3 set-up during the successful qualifying campaign, choosing not to squander his fire-power.

There have been indications in training this week that he is going to be more conservative against Bosnia and Herzegovia, which could mean Gonzalo Higuain misses out. Much, of course, will depend on Messi but Bosnia coach Safet Susic's insists he has no plans to man-mark the four-time FIFA World Player of the Year.

Susic said: "It is a dilemma for me, but to sacrifice a player just to man-mark Messi, I don't think it would be good for us. I don't think we have ever played a match having dedicated a player to man-mark a specific opponent, and it's going to be the same against Argentina."

This will be Bosnia and Herzegovina's World Cup debut, indeed their first major tournament having only played the first match as an independent nation in 1995 following the civil war and break-up of Yugoslavia.

Argentina defender Federico Fernandez says they are acutely aware of the threat of Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko. "He is a big player with a good aerial game," said Fernandez. "We have to stay close to him and be ready for potential crosses coming in from the flanks."

Messi at the Maracana, Deschamps returns

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MATCHDAY PREVIEW – The FIFA World Cup™ returns to the Maracana on day four at Brazil 2014, when Argentina star Lionel Messi will make his tournament entrance at the same legendary venue. After a low-key season by his own stratospheric standards, the four-time FIFA Ballon d'Or winner is certain to come under close scrutiny. Will he cope with the pressure? Can he make the same instant impact as his rival and Barcelona team-mate Neymar, who racked up a pair of goals on opening day? Despite the late kick-off time for European audiences, the whole planet will be fascinated to watch the first impressions left by the man hoping to follow in Diego Maradona's footsteps.

Elsewhere, two ambitious European sides are set to begin their respective bids. A World Cup winner in 1998, Didier Deschamps will be keen for his charges to start with a win against Honduras, though the former France captain is too experienced to underestimate a team still chasing a first finals win after six outings. Switzerland, meanwhile, topped their qualifying group and have announced their intention to at least match their best ever World Cup performance, a quarter-final spot in 1954. As for opponents Ecuador, they were the last CONMEBOL side to qualify and are desperate to pay homage to emblematic forward Christian 'Chucho' Benitez, who died tragically on 29 July aged 27.

The matches
Switzerland-Ecuador (Group E), Estadio Nacional, Brasilia, 13.00 (local time)
France-Honduras (Group E), Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, 16.00 (local time)
Argentina-Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group F), Estadio do Maracana, 19.00 (local time)

Did you know?
Stuttering starts: Since lifting the Trophy in 1998, France have regularly struggled to hit the ground running at World Cup finals. Beaten by Senegal in 2002, they could only manage a goalless stalemate with Switzerland in 2006 and repeated the result against Uruguay four years ago, failing to register in all three games. Moreover, Les Bleus are largely lacking in happy World Cup memories from Latin America, falling at the first hurdle in both their visits in 1930 and 1978, while they did not even qualify for the 1950 and 1962 editions.

Split personality: Ecuador performed almost like two different teams on the road to Brazil. La Tri defeated each of their rivals apart from Argentina in Quito, and held La Albiceleste to a draw, but it was a different story away from home – where they slipped to five defeats and drew their other three fixtures.

Modern take on a famous venue: Sixty-four years on from the trauma of the Maracanazo, Rio de Janeiro's iconic stadium is ready to host seven World Cup games after undergoing an extensive makeover. Once the biggest ground in the world, capable of accommodating around 200,000 spectators back when fans could stand, the Maracana has been renovated for this tournament, taking on a new look faithful to the original design. Although the capacity has been reduced to 74,738 places, the Maracana retains all of its fabled aura, as Messi and Co will soon discover along with sole finals newcomers Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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Check it out
They may not figure on many people's lists of favourites, but Switzerland went into the World Cup Draw as a top seed, their FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking and qualifying performances marking them out among the best teams in Europe. Always a tricky proposition for big-name sides, Die Nati nonetheless tend to toil against more modest opponents, as right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner recently explained to FIFA.com. "It's something we really need to improve on," he said. "I think Switzerland can give any big team a tough game. At the same time, the 'smaller' countries still feel they have a chance against us. We sometimes have trouble creating openings and forcing the pace, but we're working on it." The question is whether that work will pay off for the Swiss, currently ranked 16th, against an Ecuador team located 20 spots lower on the global ladder.

On this day
Poland began their superb 1974 World Cup run 40 years ago to the day, when they posted an eye-catching 3-2 victory against Argentina in Stuttgart. Kazimierz Deyna pulled the strings, but it was two-goal Grzegorz Lato and Andrzej Szarmach who buried the chances for the side that had won Olympic gold two years previously. Kazimierz Gorski's men were a breath of fresh air in West Germany; they followed up their first match triumph by downing Haiti 7-0 and then overcoming a disillusioned Italy team 2-1 to finish top of their section. In the second round, Poland edged out Sweden 1-0 and Yugoslavia 2-1, before succumbing 1-0 to eventual champions West Germany in a hard-fought encounter played in terrible weather conditions. They picked themselves up in the match for third place, though, Lato sealing a 1-0 success against Brazil to finish as tournament top scorer on seven strikes, two ahead of five-goal compatriot Szarmach.

Play and win
"To win a FIFA World Cup, you need to be sharp, cool and cold-blooded. A bit of luck also helps!" So says Cafu, and the former Brazil captain ought to know, given that success coursed through his veins during his playing days. Still, it will take more than luck to prevail in the Castrol FIFA World Cup Predictor Challenge: instead, intuition, football knowledge and team analysis will all be key to coming out on top. So, start predicting and you could win some fabulous prizes!

"Prove to me you have what it takes to be a champion," says Cafu, the two-time World Cup winner and Castrol ambassador throwing down the gauntlet to fans everywhere.

Top tweet
Honduras midfielder Mario Martinez tweeted upon Los Catrachos' arrival in Porto Alegre.
"Now at Porto Alegre, ready and trusting in God that the best is coming, good chance to make history"

Ya en Porto alegre listo y confiando en Dios q lo mejor esta por llegar, linda oportunidad para hacer historia.. pic.twitter.com/96jXnev0XT

— Mario Martinez M10M (@mariomartinez_7) June 13, 2014