Messi and Salah prepare for last dance, but who will come out on top?

This World Cup is seeing many of football's biggest stars battle it out for their respective countries one final time. 

Portugal's defeat to Spain on Monday was Cristiano Ronaldo's last appearance on football's biggest stage, and later today, one more will be joining him. 

Argentina and Egypt will clash in Atlanta for a place in the quarter-finals, and it will see two talismen, Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah, go head-to-head. 

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Lionel Messi’s greatest World Cup moments

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Both men have shared a similar path when it comes to their respective international careers; Messi and Salah have had to bear the weight of a nation on their shoulders, and are viewed as godlike figures by their adoring fans. 

Now the two will do battle in the grandest of tournaments, the FIFA World Cup, but who will come out on top? 

Messi the more potent threat in front of goal

Messi has been prolific in front of goal for the defending champions. 

With seven goals in four games, he has become the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer, and will be looking to continue adding to his tally. 

As expected, he has been compared to Ronaldo when it comes to how two of this generation's biggest names perform at the World Cup, and it's clear why Messi has enjoyed much more success.

Messi may be at the backend of his career at 39 years old, and relying on his teammates to at times to carry him through matches, but he is still willing to drop back when needed.

As shown by the heat map below, a lot of Messi's positioning in each World Cup match so far sees him mostly operating in the central area between the halfway line and opposition box. 

This allows him to attack in bursts rather than running around in a high press and tiring himself, something which fans have become accustomed to throughout his career. 

Creating 1.96 chances per match and 3.64 shots on target, Messi more often than not seizes the opportunity in front of goal, and for Egypt's defence, they will need to find a way to restrict his movement around their own box if they are to keep the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner quiet. 

Salah offers unique outlet for Egypt attack

Compared to Messi, Salah has not been frequently putting the ball in the back of the net, scoring six fewer goals. 

However, Salah is proving to be the more creative player with 15 chances created compared to Messi's seven. 

For this clash with Argentina, Salah will have to continue creating chances, but also act as a distraction on the wing. 

Cape Verde showed in the Round of 32 defeat to the defending champions that their fullback areas are an area to exploit. 

Egypt have two talented attackers in Salah and Marmoush who will not be afraid to take their opponents on, and if Salah, for example, can attract multiple Argentina players towards him, then inevitably, space will be open for the likes of Marmoush to exploit and finish off the chances created. 

As per the graphic, Salah may not be scoring goals for fun, but his play down the flanks often results in possession being kept in around the penalty area or goals. 

If Salah is not marked out of the game and finds joy on the wing, then Egypt's best chance of hurting Argentina will be through the central areas.

Messi vs. Salah, who comes out on top in Round of 16 match?

Messi and Salah offer different attacking options, but when it comes to today's match, I expect Messi to have the better game. 

While Salah is someone who creates plenty of chances, in a high-stakes game such as this, the star players need to be efficient in front of goal, and Messi is on a roll. 

It feels like every time with the ball at his feet, Messi will produce some moment of magic, and his bursts of brilliance more often than not catch the opposition off guard and end in a roar from the army of fans supporting Argentina across the United States as he either scores or helps create a chance for his country. 

Regardless of the result, it's great to see these two star names meet in the World Cup, and it somewhat feels fitting that it may be their last ever act in football's biggest and most historic tournament.

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