Argentina will begin the quest for their first World Cup trophy since 1986 in what could possibly be the last national team sojourn for their talisman Lionel Messi. The responsibility of meeting their lofty ambitions rests on a strike force that also boasts Lautaro Martínez and Ángel Di María, whilst the mood is likely to remain upbeat despite manager Lionel Scaloni being forced to dig into the reserves after Nicolás González and Joaquín Correa were ruled out of the tournament.
Winning both the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 Finalissma titles is likely to add to the confidence accumulated during an unbeaten World Cup qualification campaign (W11, D6). Their preparations were also completed with a 5-0 demolition of the United Arab Emirates in a friendly on Wednesday making it 36 unbeaten matches under Scaloni – a run that also saw them end a 28-year trophy drought – augmenting expectations that Argentina could now lift the World Cup.
Saudi Arabia may be considered the group minnows but the lack of expectations could work in the favour of Hervé Renard’s unit as they aim to better their group stage exit from the previous World Cup. That would be a historical moment as the Saudis have made it out of that phase just once across their previous five World Cup appearances, on their debut back in 1994. Perhaps a more realistic aim would be to avoid the dreaded fourth place, especially with the remaining Group C teams ranked at least 20 places better by FIFA than Saudi Arabia.
The Saudis can draw inspiration from having topped their third round of World Cup qualifying, above better-ranked Japan and Australia. While scoring goals may not be their forte, having failed to net more than once in each of their last 19 matches, Saudi Arabia may keep things tight at the back after conceding more than one goal just once during that sequence.
Players to watch: A goal from Martínez could be a good omen for Argentina with his nation winning the last 16 games in which he’s scored. After striker Fahad Al-Muwallad was left out hours after being named in the World Cup squad due to fears over a doping case, Saudi Arabia will look to Salem Al-Dawsari for impact, with his last seven national goals also coming in wins.
Hot stat: Argentina have failed to win just once across their last seven World Cup finals openers (W6, D1), but that did come in their last campaign.
World Cup trivia: Luis Monti was the first of six players to represent two different countries in the World Cup – Argentina in 1930 and Italy in 1934.
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