Super Eagles to face Messi: Argentina confirms Nigeria friendly for March in China

The next two matches for the Argentina national team will be against the two African countries.

The social media accounts of Argentina made announcements about the games.

The selection of two African teams was motivated by the lack of a formidable European opponent or a location with advantageous logistics.

The Argentine football team will play two African opponents during the friendly window in March when it travels to China, the AFA announced on Monday, following an agreement with a Chinese corporation.

The Albiceleste's two longtime allies, Nigeria and Ivory Coast, will put them to the test as they get ready to defend their continental crown in the US.

During their tour of China, Argentina will play Nigeria at the Olympics Sports Center stadium in Hangzhou.

Due to their strong leg, African adversaries are frequently physically demanding and Argentina tries to avoid them.

It will be the tenth high-level match between Nigeria and the Argentine national team, with the latter leading the former in the FIFA rankings at 42.

In particular, their five World Cup meetings have resulted in victories for the Albiceleste (2-1 in 1994, 1-0 in 2002, 1-0 in 2010, 3-2 in 2014, and 2-1 in 2018).

The other win came in a friendly match in 2011 when Argentina won 3-1 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The only ever draw was in the King Fahd Cup (0-0) in 1995; the other two losses were in friendlies, with the most recent one occurring in Abuja in 2011 and from 2-4 at Krasonar, Russia, in 2017.