Argentina this morning kick off their latest World Cup tilt against Saudi Arabia with a sense of something different, and more impressive, about this team.
Having ended their long wait for a Copa America crown last year, La Albiceleste look in good shape for a deep run in Qatar.
Although perhaps not quite as star-studded a squad as one of football’s powerhouses have boasted before, Lionel Scaloni has built a team currently enjoying a 36-match unbeaten streak, albeit with the caveat that the advent of the UEFA Nations League has blocked off meetings with big European sides.
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW ARGENTINA VS SAUDI ARABIA LIVE!
Still, it could well be Argentina’s best chance to add a third crown to their name and, as ever, it’s difficult to ignore the Lionel Messi story. Back to something approaching his very best after a difficult first year at Paris Saint-Germain, winning the game’s ultimate prize would be a fitting end to one of the most remarkable careers football has ever seen.
First up in their quest lay Saudi Arabia. For many, they are merely making up the numbers in Group C but did at least top a difficult-looking qualification group including Japan and Australia. In manager Herve Renard, they boast a coach with significant tournament experience and are unlikely to make things easy.
Here’s everything you need to know about the game.
Date, kick-off time and venue
The World Cup group stage game is scheduled for a 10am GMT kick-off time today, Tuesday November 22, 2022.
The Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail will host.
Where to watch Argentina vs Saudi Arabia
TV channel: The game will be broadcast on ITV 1 and STV.
Live stream: The ITV Player and STV Player (both free with a subscription) will offer a live stream.
LIVE coverage: Follow all of the action LIVE with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog.
Argentina vs Saudi Arabia confirmed team news
Argentina XI: E Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; De Paul, Paredes, Papu Gomez; Messi, La. Martinez, Di Maria.
Saudi Arabia XI: Al-Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Al-Bulayhi, Al-Shahrani, Al-Buraikan, Kanno, Al-Malki, Al-Faraj, Salem Al-Dawsari, Al-Shehri
Argentina vs Saudi Arabia prediction
Saudi Arabia are likely to be a difficult team to break down but an Argentina side in this kind of form surely have too much.
Argentina to win 2-0.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Argentina wins: 1
Draws: 1
Saudi Arabia wins: 0
Argentina vs Saudi Arabia latest odds
Argentina to win: 2/15
Draw: 13/2
Saudi Arabia to win: 17
