Argentina kick off the defence of their World Cup crown with a tricky Group J opener against an Algerian side in excellent form.
Qatar 2022 belonged to Lionel Messi as the world's greatest player finally got his hands on the piece of silverware he cherished most.
Now 38, Messi can enjoy this tournament without the weight of the world on his shoulders and it would cement his status as the greatest of all time if Argentina could rule the roost once more.
They topped South American qualifying at a canter, finishing nine points ahead of nearest rivals Ecuador, and look in good shape heading into these finals.
But the same could be said for the Algerians, who have lost just one of their last 18 matches.
In their final two warm-up games, Algeria beat the Netherlands on Dutch soil then thrashed Bolivia 4-0 after touching down in America.
So they could give the world champions a tough test and will fancy their chances of qualifying from a group that also includes Jordan and Austria.
How the bookies view it: Champions to get off to a flier
Despite Algeria being in excellent form, they've been written off for this clash and Bet365 price them at 8/1. Argentina are red-hot 4/11 favourites and the draw pays 15/4.
Head to head: Another seven-goal thriller?
These sides have faced off just once before and armchair fans will be hoping for a repeat of that 2007 friendly. That match ended in a 4-3 victory for Argentina, with Messi scoring twice at his Nou Camp home.
Players to watch: Fernandez a threat from midfield
It will be interesting to see who starts up front for Argentina after Julian Alvarez sat out their last two games and Lautaro Martinez impressed in his absence. So I'm going to back midfielder Enzo Fernandez instead and the Chelsea man is a decent 7/5 with Bet365 to score or assist.
Amine Gouiri heads into this game with his confidence high after netting twice in the win over Bolivia. The Marseille forward is 11/4 for a goal or assist and 11/10 just to get an effort on target.
If you're having a punt on a player, make sure you check out our guide to the top 2026 World Cup betting apps.
Probable line-ups
Alvarez's fitness is a concern for Argentina but boss Lionel Scaloni has insisted the striker will be fine. Defender Nicolas Tagliafico is set to miss out with an injury picked up against Honduras.
Algeria have no fresh injury issues and should be along similar lines to the team that shocked the Dutch.
Argentina: Martinez, Medina, Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Moilna, De Paul, Fernandez, Almada, Mac Allister, Messi, Lautaro Martinez.
Algeria: Zidane, Ait-Nouri, Bensebaini, Mandi, Belghali, Bentaleb, Aouar, Maza, Mahrez, Amoura, Gouiri.
Anything else catch the eye?
I'd imagine Algeria will set up to frustrate and use a similar game plan to the one we saw in that friendly with the Dutch.
They only managed two shots on target in that win over the Netherlands and they're up against an Argentina defence who limited Honduras and Iceland to a single effort on target across their last two matches.
That suggests under 2.5 goals stands a chance here at 10/11 with Bet365 while an Argentina win to nil is a little bit bigger at evens.
With the North Africans likely to sit back, the corner count could rise for Messi and Co. Backing Argentina at -3 in the corner handicap pays 5/4 at Bet365.
Nabil Bentaleb will try to break up play in midfield and the Algerian is a tempting evens at Bet365 to commit over 1.5 fouls.
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