Messi’s 200th appearance and more: All you need to know before Argentina-Algeria clash

Defending champions Argentina are set to launch their World Cup title defense mission when they take on Algeria in their opening Group J match at the Kansas City Stadium in Missouri on Wednesday morning. The match is scheduled to start at 7:00 am (Bangladesh time).

Here are few highlights ahead of the Argentina-Algeria clash:

**Messi is set to become the first player in history to appear at six FIFA World Cups. The 38-year-old has played 26 World Cup matches, the most by any player.

**The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner will also become only the second player, after Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, to earn 200 international caps.

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**This will be the first World Cup meeting between Argentina and Algeria. The Albiceleste won their only previous encounter, a friendly in June 2007, when Messi scored his first international brace in a 4-3 victory at Barcelona's Camp Nou.

**Argentina will be confident of avoiding an early upset, having progressed beyond the first round in 13 of their last 14 World Cup appearances. The lone exception came in 2002.

**Argentina have won their last six World Cup matches against African opposition – five of them against Nigeria – since losing 1-0 to Cameroon in 1990. That defeat was also the last time the Albiceleste failed to score in a World Cup opener.

**Algeria, appearing at their fifth World Cup, will look to striker Mohammed Amoura, who topped CAF qualifying with 10 goals in 10 matches. He was directly involved in 58% of Algeria's 24 qualifying goals, contributing four assists as well.

**Algeria have won just one of their last 10 World Cup matches – a 4-2 win over South Korea in 2014 – while their two other victories came back in 1982.

**After a 7-0 rout of Guatemala and a goalless draw with Uruguay in March, Algeria beat the Netherlands and Bolivia earlier this month. They have conceded only twice in their last six matches.