Sampaoli: Argentina will go out with a knife between their teeth World Cup 2018 Will look to circulate the ball

Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli said that they are ready to go out and battle against France but they will look to control the ball and not get into a physical battle.

Sampaoli's side scraped through to the last 16 after they beat Nigeria in the group stage and face a difficult task against France, even if they haven't yet hit form themselves.

"We need to take the reins ourselves, put out players that will allow us to control the play especially against a a side like France, who move the ball around quickly," he told a press conference.

"If we do not control the play then it will be a physical game which would not suit us. If France counter-attack it will not be good for us. Argentina will play with the knife between our teeth and hopefully we will come out on top."

He believes that Lionel Messi can make the difference in the game.

"He is a leader with the relationship that he has with his teammates," Sampaoli continued.

"He has a special ability to see the game that is only possible for a genius and a lot of the time it is difficult to be at the level of a genius like him. We need to know how to play with him and be able to work with him on the pitch, some of them can do it quickly and others not.

"We have a lot of love for the shirt and for Leo, through a lot of incidents that have happened and this makes us very strong. It is a team that doesn't accept defeat very easily."