Scaloni Issues Warning About Cape Verde

Argentina's head coach, Lionel Scaloni, has cautioned his squad against underestimating World Cup surprise package Cape Verde ahead of their Round of 16 clash in Miami on Friday.

"Well, we're in good form. Naturally, we're excited, like everyone else, but we have an opponent to face and respect – a team that has performed exceptionally well. And, of course, the margin for error is now narrowing. This is a knockout match – if you lose, you go home. We are aware of this, but the match finds us in good shape, and that's football. We've seen that the matches are very evenly contested, with the exception of France or perhaps Mexico, who I think won convincingly. There were other very close encounters, and I don't think this one will be easy. That's the reality."

Scaloni also offered his analysis of Cape Verde.

"They are a team that hasn't lost. They played well in their match against Saudi Arabia, and I think they deserved to win. Against Spain and Uruguay, they perhaps struggled more at times, but they defended well. They are excellent at intercepting passes through the middle, they organize very effective counter-attacks, and they have technically gifted players. They are a good team. We had already scouted them, not just because we are facing them now, but because we analyzed them as a potential opponent. Ultimately, they qualified, and frankly, that doesn't surprise us. They are a good team; they haven't reached this stage by chance. We must respect them, and that's exactly what we will do."