ST PETERSBURG, June 26: Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli denied reports of divisions between players and management in his squad and said they would finally get their World Cup campaign properly underway in their crucial Group D match against Nigeria on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, June 15: Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli took the surprising decision to reveal his starting line-up for his side’s World Cup Group D opener against Iceland in a news conference ahead of Saturday’s game, picking Sergio Aguero ahead of Gonzalo Higuain.

Argentina’s World Cup ambitions rest heavily on the shoulders of Barcelona legend Lionel Messi, who is still searching for his first piece of major silverware with his country.

Diego Maradona criticized the appointment of Jorge Sampaoli as Argentina coach, saying the Copa America winning manager was no better than his disappointing predecessor.

Jorge Sampaoli enjoyed a perfect start to his Argentina reign with a 1-0 friendly win over Brazil on Friday, ending opposing coach Tite's honeymoon in front of a mammoth crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli hopes his team can emulate La Liga giants Barcelona's "collective" approach in extracting the best out of Lionel Messi.