Cape Verde head coach Bubista has expressed confidence that his side will be able to play with courage when they come up against Lionel Messi-led Argentina in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 fixture at Miami Stadium on Friday.
The African side will head into the game unbeaten from their group matches. Placed in Group H, Cape Verde secured a 0-0 draw against Spain in their opener.
They followed it up with a 2-2 draw against Uruguay before securing their Round of 32 ticket and a date to face Argentina with a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia. For Argentina, they won all their Group J matches. They defeated Algeria 3-0, Austria 2-0, and concluded their group matches with a 3-1 victory against Jordan.
Speaking ahead of the fixture, Bubista believes if his players play with courage, they will be able to trouble Argentina and get something from the game because “anything can happen in football.”
“We have a strong connection with Argentina,” said Bubista as quoted by FIFA.com. “The chance to play against them is a reward for these players, this team and our people. We’re ecstatic. Reaching the knockout phase means making history yet again,” added Bubista.
“Now we get to play against Argentina. In football, anything can happen. We’ll show them the same respect we’ve shown every opponent, but we’ll compete.
“We’re living a dream, but once we step onto the pitch, we can’t see faces. We’ll approach this game exactly as we did against Spain or any other team.”
On coming up against Messi, who has so far scored six goals in the global tournament, Bubista said: “For us, it’s a huge privilege to face the player many consider the greatest of all time.
“Will it be the No. 10 against our 10 islands? Of course. But we’ll continue to play with character, discipline and our own identity.”
Bubista added: “We will play with courage. We will be bold and fight for the qualification. We want the players to enjoy the match, but to be focused and do everything to go to the next phase.”
