JOHANNESBURG (AFP) Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona confront divergent challenges as Argentina start their World Cup campaign against African hopes Nigeria at Ellis Park Stadium on Saturday. Messi is widely anticipated to be the star of South Africa 2010, but Maradona, one of the greatest players of all time, is under scrutiny after enduring a turbulent qualifying campaign with the two-time world champions. Currently the worlds best player, Messi already has an Olympic gold medal, an European Champions League title and Spanish league and cup double honours with Barcelona. All that eludes him is winning the World Cup and over the coming month, starting with the clash against the Super Eagles this weekend, Messi looks set to make a huge impact on the greatest stage in world football. And to put all those achievements into context, he does not turn 23 until June 24, two days after Argentina complete their group stage matches. Maradona has been down the road before that beckons for Messi. He may be a veritable living football legend as a player - mainly for his exploits as the inspirational captain of Argentinas 1986 World Cup-winning side - but as national team manager he has his vociferous critics. Osvaldo Ardiles, 1978 world champion and his former international teammate, does not mince his words in a withering assessment of Maradonas stewardship of the national side. Diego was the greatest player in the history of the game, but so far he has clearly not been successful as a manager. We qualified for these World Cup finals by the skin of our teeth, and with plenty of luck, Ardiles said. The Argentine media have scorned Maradona for calling up over 100 players since he took charge in November 2008. So the heat is on the 49-year-old to fully mesh the talents of Messi, captain Javier Mascherano, Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez, among others. As ever Maradona is defiant and unwavering in his self-belief. I tell my players that 30 days of sacrifice for the chance to kiss the World Cup is nothing in the life of a man, he said. An achievement like that is like touching the sky. I played in World Cups and I reached two finals. I know what it takes. Anxious Nigerians pray for luck to beat Argentina Nigeria may have to bank on luck and divine intervention to pull off a win against Group B favourites Argentina in their daunting World Cup opener on Saturday, fans and critics say. The Super Eagles squad falls below the level of those which reached the second round in 1994 and 1998 while the absence of injured Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi has deprived the team of one of its few flair players. Realistically, Nigeria does not have a chance on Saturday with Argentina, independent sports analyst Paul Bassey said. We are hanging on luck, surprise or a sense of patriotism that is blind to beat Argentina, he added, contemplating the Nigerians date with Argentinas world player of the year Lionel Messi. Although the Super Eagles coach, Swedens Lars Lagerback, has the pedigree of leading his home nation at the last two World Cups, but shoddy preparations and a squad containing several lacklustre players could harm Nigerian chances. Bassey pointed out that most of the players Nigeria will be fielding failed to sparkle at the African Nations Cup in Angola in January when they were knocked out by Ghana in the semi-finals. Some in the line-up are either old, tired, injury-hit or simply have not played enough for their foreign clubs, he suggests. We are relying more on the spirit of determination of the Nigerian players, said Audu Abubakar, another football buff. Nigeria, which failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, may also pull through if God becomes the teams 12th player, he said, echoing a common view in this deeply religious country. For Bamidele Aremu, 39, a driver relaxing by watching a local match on television in a bar in the run-down Obalende district of Lagos, his sense of patriotism overshadows the Super Eagles shortcomings. Nigeria did not prepare well for this competition... (but) Nigeria will find favour with mother luck to beat Argentina, he said. Ambrose Anyawu, a clerk in a firm of architects, does not share Aremus optimism. It is impossible to beat Argentina. We can only beat Argentina if the god of football is Nigerian, he said. Nigeria has been dogged by a late change of team base and a late switch of coaches Lagerback replaced Nigerian coach Saibu Amodu after the African Nations Cup and a delayed start to the warm-up schedule, but the Swede is confident his team can beat any World Cup rival. Saturdays match pitches him against Argentinas Diego Maradona, one of the worlds greatest ever players but still finding his feet as a coach. Maradona is one of the least-rated World Cup coaches but he parades some of the best players in the world. On the other hand, Lagerback has a high professional pedigree as a world-rated coach but is in charge of a rather colourless team, Bassey said. Abubakar added: It will be a big feat if Nigeria passes through this stage. But let us keep our fingers crossed. But some fans are feeling far more optimistic. Tunde Bamigbala, a coach at a community club in Lagos, rates Nigerias chances against Argentina as very high. He said Nigeria has improved at each and every World Cup friendly warm-up match it has played in the last three weeks. Lagerback oversaw his first win as Nigeria coach on Sunday, a 3-1 win over fellow World Cup qualifiers North Korea, a match which was overshadowed by a crowd stampede. Before that the squad had stumbled to a goalless draw with Saudi Arabia and a 1-1 stalemate with Colombia. With the determination of the players and the right line-up against Argentina, the Super Eagles will emerge victorious, said Bamigbala. One good thing about the new Nigerian coach is that he does not play a determined pattern and this can destabilise Argentina which has a style that everybody knows, he added.