The Albany Gazette - Argentina eye World Cup double ahead of Group J opener

Only two teams – Italy in 1934 and 1938, and Brazil in 1958 and 1962 – have won back-to-back World Cup crowns, underscoring the difficulty of the task facing Lionel Messi and his team-mates.

Yet while history suggests the odds are stacked against the 2022 champions, there are grounds for believing that Argentina are more than capable of completing a rare double.

Coach Lionel Scaloni has retained the core of the squad that helped carry Argentina to the title in Qatar, with the 38-year-old Messi likely returning to captain the team in what will be a record sixth World Cup appearance.

The Argentines cruised through South American qualifiers with ease, losing only four of their 18 matches and finishing nine points clear of second-placed Ecuador.

That pedigree is likely to easily see them through a Group J that includes Algeria, Austria and Jordan.

The acid test though will come deeper in the tournament when Argentina run into elite European opposition.

Scaloni's side, who open their tournament against Algeria in Kansas City on June 16, have not played a single game against a major European team since defeating France in the 2022 final.

- Mahrez skippers Algeria -

Argentina's biggest Group J threat could well come from Algeria, who are back at the World Cup for the first time since the 2014 finals in Brazil, where they reached the last 16 before being eliminated by Belgium.

The Algerians eased through African qualifiers, topping their group to finish seven points clear of second-placed Uganda.

Veteran former Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez will captain the side, with the fast and skilful VfL Wolfsburg striker Mohamed Amoura providing the main goal threat.

Algeria's first-round campaign also gives them a chance to settle a longstanding score against Group J rivals Austria, 44 years after the two nations met in the group stage at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.

Algeria defeated West Germany and Chile in the group stage but were eliminated after West Germany defeated the Austrians 1-0 in a mutually beneficial result that sent both European teams through to the second round.

The match, known as "The Disgrace of Gijon", prompted FIFA to play all final group games simultaneously at future tournaments.

The Austrians, who are coached by German veteran Ralf Rangnick and captained by Real Madrid's David Alaba, return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998 after qualifying directly ahead of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Asian minnows Jordan round out the group, making their first ever appearance at a World Cup after finishing second behind South Korea in Asian qualifying.

(B.Ramirez--TAG)