KOLKATA: The wait is finally over. For thousands of 'mortals' who will be at the Salt Lake Stadium on Friday to keep their dream date with the 'god' of football, the big moment has arrived. The city is in the grip of Messi mania and expectations are high from the men in blue and white jerseys.

With a full house expected at the Salt Lake Stadium, there will be overwhelming support for Argentina as they take on Venezuela in a friendly on Friday.

The match is being organized in association with The Times of India.

The wait is also over for Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella, who will embark on a mission which will decide which way his team is headed in pursuit of the game's ultimate prize. In a sense, the wait is over for Lionel Messi, too.

The best player in the world is ready to define the destiny of a trophy-starved nation, whose last piece of silverware had come in the Copa America 18 years ago. Incidentally, Friday's match will be the first-ever showdown on Indian soil involving two foreign national teams.

On a different plane, the match will mark the beginning of a painstaking rebuilding process that Sabella must undertake in a bid to restore the nation's pride which has taken a beating in recent times in all major competitions.

Both Sabella and his captain Messi are aware of the expectations from fans back home even as they take the first baby steps at the Salt Lake Stadium in their long journey to reclaiming the World Cup, the Holy Grail of international soccer.

By naming a strong squad for Argentina's tour of the subcontinent, Sabella - who replaced Sergio Batista following a disastrous campaign in Copa America in July - has made it clear that he means business.

Messi, of course, remains a key man in Sabella's scheme of things. In the two days of practice here, it was quite clear that the emphasis was on developing link-up play.

With Angel di Maria an automatic choice on the left, Javier Mascherano and Javier Banega operating deep, behind Gonzalo Higuian and Sergio Aguero, Argentina may well opt for a 4-1-3-2 formation.

History, however, hugely favours Argentina against Friday's opponents. The two South American rivals have played each other 17 times and Argentina have returned victors on each of those occasions.

Moreover, while Argentina have scored 70 goals in these matches, Venezuela have managed just nine goals.

The gulf in class between the two teams becomes even more stark when we a look at Venezuela's track record in international football. Venezuela remain the only South American nation never to have qualified for the World Cup finals.

By Venezuela coach Cesar Farias' own admission, they are a "Cinderella team," which only recently shot into prominence after flattering to deceive over the years. Venezuela's progress to the semifinals of the recently-held Copa America was a confirmation of the fact that they are an emerging force in world soccer.

Under Farias they are determined to make the World Cup cut. The likes of Gabriel Cichero and Julio Alvarez, with their strong display in the recently-concluded Copa America, have shown that they are capable of taking Venezuelan football to new heights.

Conscious of the fact that stakes are high in the upcoming friendlies, Sabella would be keen to make sure that his team does not get off to a false start - like Usain Bolt in Daegu - in his maiden national assignment. Bigger tests will follow on the long road to Rio.

The Salt Lake Stadium will just be the starting point of this marathon for Messi and his mates.