Argentina defender Javier Mascherano has said that fellow countryman Lionel Messi is "desperate" to put in a good performance at the World Cup.

Jorge Sampaoli's side's only point in the tournament so far was claimed in a 1-1 draw with Iceland, which was followed up by a 3-0 defeat to Croatia.

Mascherano told reporters at a press conference that Messi, who missed a penalty against Iceland, is frustrated at being unable to put in a solid performance in Russia so far.

"Leo is fine," the defender said. "But as a collective, where things don't go as we'd like, we all have our own frustrations.

"He's human and he has his own frustrations but he's desperate to turn the situation around.

"He wants to show the world a different image to the one we've shown in the first two games."

Argentina must win against Nigeria on Tuesday to progress to the last 16.