FIFA World Cup: Messi, Mbappe, Haaland To Set Pitches on Fire Tonight

Monday night will witness heavyweights of the world football stepping foot in the pitches, including Argentina, who plays against Austria, as France will take on Iraq. The night fixtures will be followed by two games in the early hours of Tuesday. All teams will be looking for a positive result, no lesser than a win, to book their place in the knockout stages of the World Cup.

Argentina vs Austria (10:30 PM Kickoff)

Lionel Messi and World Cup holders Argentina face Austria in Dallas on Monday with the Argentine great needing one more goal to rewrite the record books.

Messi, who turns 39 on Wednesday, equalled Miroslav Klose's all-time mark of 16 World Cup goals when scoring a hat-trick in the 3-0 opening win over Algeria.

The Argentina captain was tearful after his first goal, and it later emerged that his father is recovering from an unspecified health issue.

Despite his personal travails and a troubled build-up because of a hamstring injury, Messi's mere presence appears to inspire his teammates.

"If anyone thought this group was better off without Leo, today it became clear that Leo is the most important of them all," said midfielder Alexis Mac Allister after the win against Algeria.

Argentina or Austria can qualify for the next round with a victory and would be assured of finishing top of Group J if Jordan fails to beat Algeria later on Monday.

France vs Iraq (02:30 AM)

Another player chasing the all-time World Cup scoring record, Kylian Mbappe, will play his 100th game for France when they meet Iraq in Philadelphia.

"There is nothing bigger -- one hundred is a historic figure, and to have the chance to reach that tally here at a World Cup means it will be a special match for me," Mbappe told reporters on Sunday.

Mbappe, 27, is tied with West Germany legend Gerd Mueller on 14 goals after he netted twice in France's opening 3-1 win against Senegal in Group I.

France, who were beaten by Argentina on penalties in the last final in 2022, will expect to brush aside the Iraqis to guarantee a ticket to the knockout phase in a match which could be interrupted with thunderstorms forecast in Philadelphia.

Norway vs Senegal (05:30 AM)

The third game of the night is between ‘Vikings’ Norway and the ‘African Lions’ Senegal.

Norway and their marksman Erling Haaland, who scored twice against Iraq in a 4-1 opening win will be looking out to play a difficult game between the decrowned African champions.

Norway will be guaranteed of going through from Group I if they beat Senegal in New Jersey and France defeat Iraq.

Senegal's team, filled with star players who play across top clubs of the world, can well become the dark horses of the tournament. Their skipper, Sadio Mane, who plays alongside Christiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr, will look to secure the team’s first points in the tournament. A loss in this game would mean they might reduce their chance of progression to the next round.

Jordan vs Algeria (08:30 AM)

One of the few representatives from Asia in the world cup, Jordan will take on the North African nation of Algeria on the last game in the match day. Both team will look to win the game, with Argentina being the favourites to top the group, leaving fewer knockout tickets to progress.

Where To Watch

The FIFA World Cup is available for online streaming at the ZEE5 App, whereas on Telecast, the matches will be available on the Unite8 Sports channels. Unite8 Sports 1 & Unite8 Sports 1 HD will have Hindi commentary, whereas Unite8 Sports 2 & Unite8 Sports 2 HD will have English commentary.