Argentina vs Croatia: LIVE BLOG!

It’s Messi vs Rakitic!

IT’S MESSI DAY! MESSI DAY! MESSI DAY! MESSI DAY! MESSI DAY! This is a WWE reference, and if you don’t get it, you are a sad person.

Anyway, Day 8 of the World Cup ends with Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi trying to win his first game of the tournament as Argentina face Croatia, but if they had a tough time with Iceland, this could be even tougher. Croatia have a fantastic squad, and their midfield is seriously good, maybe as good as any midfield in the World Cup.

One of those Croatian midfielders is Ivan Rakitic, who knows Messi very well and will play in the same area of the pitch as the Argentina captain. That will be a truly fascinating duel to watch between two good friends and competitors, and after beating Nigeria in their first game Croatia are in a great position to qualify. A win against Argentina will all but clinch that qualification, while putting Messi and Co. in real danger of going out in the group stage.

This is perhaps the most decisive game of the World Cup so far, and it involves the best player of all time. It’ll be fun, and nervous, and crazy, and you should join us for a great live blog as soon as the team news are out!

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MATCH INFO

Date/Time: Thursday, June 21, 2018, 8pm CET (Barcelona), 7pm BST/WAT (UK & Nigeria), 2pm EST, 11am PST (USA), 11.30pm IST (India)

Venue: Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod

HOW TO WATCH, STREAM WORLD CUP

How to watch on TV: FOX (USA), BBC One (UK), SuperSport 3 (Nigeria), Sony ESPN (India), TSN (Canada), others

How to stream: BBC iPlayer (UK), FuboTV (Free trial, click here to sign up)

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Matchday Thread Rules

We don’t have a lot of rules here, but there are a few things to keep in mind when joining our matchday threads:

Even if the referee sucks or we lose the game, no swearing. It’s just unnecessary. Also, don’t discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do will be warned, and those who post links will be banned. Finally, be nice to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another, especially when it’s the World Cup.

Have fun with the game! Forever and ever, no matter the competition, VISCA EL BARÇA!