Iceland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said Friday it has been proved time and again that there is no "magic formula" to solving the Lionel Messi puzzle, but that the DNA of his group gives them as good of a chance as any.

"We will do it like everything we do, we will do it together, we will help each other, we will do it as a team," the World Cup's most famous dentist-manager said at Spartak Stadium ahead of Iceland's first ever World Cup match, against Argentina on Saturday.

"I don't have any magic formula, everybody has tried everything against him, and he always manages to score. He is one of the best players in the world."

(Messi gestures prior to Argentina's last training session on Friday before taking on Iceland)[Getty/Kyodo]

Hallgrimsson famously carved out Iceland's place on the soccer landscape at the 2016 European Championships, his team and their chanting, thunder-clapping Nordic fans going on a quarterfinal run that had a 2-1 round of 16 victory over England as its crescendo.

And using the experience, understanding and growth gained at that tournament in France, Hallgrimsson and his impressively-bearded captain Aron Gunnarsson said they are looking to show Argentina and the world what they can do, again.

"We started (Euro 2016) forcefully and we intend to do the same again," said Cardiff City's Gunnarsson, a man who loves his country so much that he has an enormous Iceland-themed back tattoo.

"It is a strong team we are meeting tomorrow, but we have gone through them, Heimir and the staff have been doing (that) very well, we have been looking at the opponent and we feel that we are ready for this."

"This will be a really difficult game, but there is not a lot of pressure on us."

(Aaron Gunnarsson)[Getty/Kyodo]

So keen to show that his team belongs, Hallgrimsson said at least three times that their Euro run was no miracle and that his team's long-term collective growth, unrivalled group of fans and spirit will be more than enough for them to compete in Group D.

"We are 20th on the FIFA (ranking) list, and after very important games won our group in qualifying for the World Cup, we deserve to be here, so we do not see it as a miracle."

"I think in all meanings of the word we are better-prepared for what is to come."

Part of that preparation is knowing one's enemy, and Hallgrimsson stressed that Argentina is far from a one-man band.

Full of talented players, Argentina has players across the park that can "punish us" at any time, said the 51-year-old who has been in charge of the national team since November 2013.

(Heimir Hallgrimsson) [Getty/Kyodo)

"It is a bit irritating when questions are only about Messi, but there are good players and they are playing the best teams in the world every week...You could name each player in this team and they are the top quality in the best leagues," he said.

Far from magic, the formula is simply knowing their own strengths and weaknesses.

Gunnarsson will combine with his midfield partner Emil Hallfredsson to shore up the first line of defense, allowing Everton's Gylfi Sigurdsson, who it seems has successfully overcome a knee injury sustained in a March Premier League fixture against Brighton, to get forward.

The set-piece will again be all-important, a formula that Hallgrimsson said he cannot change. But, perhaps more than any other team at this World Cup, Iceland's has to do it by committee.

"I know that we are probably different from many other teams here in the World Cup finals," said the manager. "We play a different style of football, but I think we show that if you work together as one unit, as we have done, anything is achievable."