By Rohith Nair
MIAMI, July 2 (Reuters) - Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni struck a measured and respectful tone on Thursday ahead of his side's World Cup last-32 clash against Cape Verde, rejecting suggestions that the tournament debutants would be easy opponents for the reigning champions.
Cape Verde are the smallest nation to ever qualify for the knockout stage of the World Cup after three draws against European champions Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.
Argentina enter the knockout rounds after a near-flawless
group-stage campaign and though Scaloni acknowledged the excitement surrounding his side, he stressed that his players are treating Cape Verde with the utmost respect.
"We're in a good moment, but now the margins are very small. This is a match where if you lose, you're out. We know that," Scaloni told reporters on Thursday.
"They're a good team. We've already watched them, not just because we are playing against them, but because we were analysing potential opponents and then they qualified.
"We are not surprised, to be honest. They are a good team, and they are not here by chance. We must respect them and that's what we will do."
While Cape Verde are unbeaten on the back of their strong defensive tactics, they failed to win a match in the group stage and Scaloni said there were games the disciplined African side deserved to win.
"Against Saudi Arabia, they deserved to win. Against Spain and Uruguay, maybe they suffered a bit more, but they defended well," Scaloni explained.
"They also closed down the inside channels and they are really good on the counter-attack. They have skilled players."
OVER-RELIANCE ON MESSI?
Lionel Messi has scored six of Argentina's eight goals to top the tournament's scoring charts along with France's Kylian Mbappe.
But Scaloni dismissed concerns over their reliance on Argentina's talisman for goals, emphasising that the team continues to create numerous scoring opportunities regardless of who finishes them.
"Of course, everything he does is more visible, but there is one more striker in the team," Scaloni said.
"We do create chances and Leo Messi, apart from being a great player, he's a striker. Whether he plays with Julian (Alvarez) or Lautaro (Martinez), we will try for all of them to score just as anyone else."
Messi did not start the last group game as Scaloni gave him a rest before the knockout stage and he is expected to return to the starting lineup.
But when asked about Messi's fitness and the possibility of extra time in the stifling heat of Miami, Scaloni declined to speculate on how many minutes the 39-year-old would play.
"I don't think it really makes sense to reply to this now. I don't know how the match is going to be, how he's going to be feeling," he said.
"He's been playing very well. I hope that everything will go well, but it will depend on how the match goes and how he feels."
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Miami; Editing by Ken Ferris)
