Match:
Date: November 22, 2022
Time: 3:30 PM IST
Venue: Lusail Stadium, Doha
Live Commentary: SportsTiger App
Preview:
Lionel Messi-led Argentina will head into their opening game against Group C opponent Saudi Arabi at Lusail Stadium on Tuesday. In his fifth and final FIFA World Cup campaign, Lionel Messi will look to make the most of it and start the campaign on high, while Saudi Arabia did well in their Asian final round qualification table, one point ahead of Japan to confirm their ticket for Qatar.
Team news:
Argentina:
Argentina will be without Gio Lo Celso for the World Cup after he sustained a quad injury in late October. Due to injury concerns, Joaquin Correa and Nico Gonzalez have been ruled out of the tournament.
Saudi Arabia:
Despite recovering from his Achilles injury, central striker Saleh Al-Shehri was left off the World Cup roster. Fahad al-Muwallad would have been part of the squad, but a doping ban forced him to miss the tournament.
Analysis:
Lionel Messi and the boys are widely known for their attacking abilities, but collectively, they are not an attacking side. They brought the best in friendlies matches and showed a lot of potential during the 3-0 victory over Italy in the Finalissima but in tournaments like World Cup, they are a completely different style.
Speaking of the Saudi Arabia, they will take a lot of confidence from victories against Ecuador, the United States, Iceland and Australia. In contrast, they held the likes of Colombia, Venezuela and Croatia to just one goal. Although the side does not feature many famous names in their team, Firas Al-Buraikan is one of the watch-out players as he is the team's best shot at striking back in the tournament.
Key Players
Predicted line-ups
Argentina (4-4-2): Emiliano Martinez; Molina, Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Tagliafico; Di Maria, Paredes, De Paul, Gomez; Messi, Martinez.
Saudi Arabia (4-3-3): Al-Owais; Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Al-Amri, Al-Shahrani; Al-Malki, Kanno, Al-Faraj; Asiri, Al-Buraikan, Al-Dawsari.
Fantasy Team
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