Argentina set to ring the changes after Iceland flop with Angel Di Maria and Marcos Rojo among the stars dropped
South Americans play Croatia next and Matteo Kovacic is claiming his side are better man-for-man if Lionel Messi is excluded
ARGENTINA boss Jorge Sampaoli will respond to his side's flop opener against Iceland by ringing the changes, according to reports.
The South Americans entered the tournament among the favourites but saw Alfred Finnbogason cancel out Sergio Aguero's spectacular opener, forcing them to settle for a draw.
And as they prepare to face tricky Croatia on Thursday, Argentinian outlet Ole insists Angel Di Maria and Marcos Rojo are set for the axe.
Gabriel Mercado is set to replace Manchester United defender Rojo, while wonderkid Cristian Pavon is piling pressure on Di Maria.
And Marcos Acuna will apparently take Lucas Biglia's spot in a shift to a 3-4-3.
Croatia - buoyed by their 2-0 win over Nigeria - come into the clash brimming with confidence.
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Real Madrid playmaker Mateo Kovacic has stoked the flames by insisting that man-for-man the Europeans are the better side - if Lionel Messi is excluded.
He said: "Argentina depends a lot on Messi, although they are a great team and one must be careful about other positions.
"You cannot just prepare for one player, one on one is quite difficult. The coaching staff will prepare tactics well for him.
"We do not need to be too afraid of Argentina, we are individually better than them, except Messi, and so we have to look at ourselves, not others."
