Will Lionel Messi match Cristiano Ronaldo's dominance in World Cup 2018?

Lionel Messi will be up against his FC Barcelona’s teammate Ivan Rakitic during the Group Group D match of FIFA World Cup 2018 on Thursday. 

Rakitic, who will be playing his 92nd match for Croatia, said that he expects Messi to be “uber-motivated” in Argentina’s must-win match against Croatia.

“My impression is not just that he's motivated, but that he's uber-motivated. When he goes to Argentina, he has a special smile on his face. I don't think there is a player more proud to wear the jersey than he is.

"I appreciate him as a human and a player, I've seen the way he has been over the last few weeks, he has given his all and he deserves all our respect,” Rakitic said in a press conference on Wednesday.

Messi received heavy criticism after he missed a penalty in Argentina’s opening match which ended in a draw against FIFA debutants Iceland. If Argentina fails to win against Croatia, that could be a striking damage for the Argentines who lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany.

Messi was furious with himself for missing a penalty in the South Americans' opener against Iceland, which ended 1-1 in an inauspicious start for what may be his last chance to emulate Diego Maradona's feat of winning a World Cup for Argentina.

"Messi can't be the only guilty one. When he scores, all Argentines celebrate, so when he misses, we can't jump on him alone, that's too easy a way to think," smarted Jorge Sampaoli on the eve of their next Group D game, against Croatia.

"I told him 'This is the World Cup of 40 million (Argentinians). You made a mistake, I made a mistake, we all made a mistake' ... The team will be together when things go well and when things go badly."