<a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/argentine-players-should-not-take-any-pressure-lionel-messi-23255398" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Lionel Messi</a> says he is cautious over Argentina&rsquo;s chances as he prepares to lead the team at the World Cup, seeking to crown a glorious career by lifting the trophy in Qatar. The South American side have won the trophy twice&mdash;in 1978 and 1986&mdash;with Messi a defeated finalist in 2014.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We are very excited,&rdquo; Messi said in an interview with CONMEBOL, the South American football federation.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We have a very nice group that is very eager, but we think about going little by little. We know that World Cup groups are not easy.&rdquo; <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/argentina-announce-squad-for-fifa-world-cup-202-messi-to-lead-23255289" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Argentina&rsquo;s </a>opening match at the World Cup is on November 22 against Saudi Arabia in Group C, which also includes Mexico and Poland. They will play a final friendly on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi against the United Arab Emirates.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We hope to start the World Cup in the best way to face everything that comes after,&rdquo; said Messi, who joined the rest of the squad in Abu Dhabi on Monday.&nbsp;
The Paris Saint-Germain forward highlighted the strengths of the team led by Lionel Scaloni and the advantage of having an established squad, who triumphed at last year&rsquo;s Copa America. &ldquo;The more you play and the more time you spend on the pitch, the more you get to know each other,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;
Also Read:<a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/kylian-mbappe-neymar-lionel-messi-sign-off-for-world-cup-with-a-5-0-victory-23255430" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">&nbsp;Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Lionel Messi sign off for World Cup with a 5-0 victory</a>
&ldquo;We know each other&rsquo;s characteristics and what is best for each moment.&rdquo; The forward said he doubted there would be a surprise winner of the World Cup.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Whenever we talk about candidates, we always talk about the same teams,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;
&ldquo;If I have to put some above others I think Brazil, France and England are a little bit above the rest. But the World Cup is so difficult and so complicated that anything can happen.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Messi, who is likely playing his last World Cup at the age of 35, said he had fully adapted to life in Paris after a difficult first year following his move from boyhood club Barcelona.
90 No. of goals scored by Lionel Messi in 164 appearances for Argentina
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Football icon Lionel Messi refuses to talk up Argentina’s World Cup chances in Qatar, knowing fully well how tides turn at major events

Lionel Messi: Little by little

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Lionel Messi: Little by little

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