“Honestly, I have not decided yet on the starting lineup. Argentina have many options and we have a lot of great players. The doors are open for every one of them… We rely on our abilities and we are strong in a psychological sense. We will go on the pitch with confidence and it will be a motivated team willing to win,” Sampaoli said.

The knockout stage will begin on Saturday, with France facing Argentina in Kazan and Uruguay playing Portugal in Sochi.