In his fifth—and last, according to him—World Cup, Lionel Messi will be surrounded by perhaps the most complete side Argentina has ever fielded to support him. La Albiceleste won Copa América in 2021 (their first major title with Messi), haven’t lost in 35 games and are among the front-runners to win the whole tournament. Argentina hasn’t failed to make it out of the group stage since ’02, and it should have few problems rolling on to the knockouts in Qatar.
It helps that Mexico isn’t exactly cruising on a run of good form. Coach Tata Martino’s seat has grown increasingly hot after some uninspiring performances in the last few years—most notably four straight matches against the U.S. without a win.
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