Group C is set to go down to the wire as Saudi Arabia hopes to throw another spanner in the works when they face off with Mexico at the Lusail Stadium. With at least one of Argentina and Poland set to drop points in their top-two battle, all four sides are in with a chance of progressing to the last-16 stage.
To Win Match
Saudi Arabia 37/10 | Draw 31/10 | Mexico 7/10
From the glorious heights of defeating Argentina to the depths of despair with a 2-0 loss to Poland, Herve Renard’s Saudi Arabia was brought crashing back down to earth at the weekend with a missed opportunity to seal a historic knockout place.
It is not to say that The Falcons did not pump out their utmost best recording 64% possession, 537 passes, 16 shots at goal, and five on target – on occasion, it just doesn’t fall in your favour. Saudi have proved that they can go toe-to-toe with giants, and you can expect them to display the exact quality they have over two fixtures but will do so without Abdulelah Al-Malki who picked up his second yellow in an error that led to a goal against Poland.
Saudi Arabia’s destiny is still in their own hands, as three points against the Mexicans would safely see them through to the knockout stages for only the second time, having got as far as the last 16 in 1994.
Mexico learned the hard way about giving Lionel Messi too much time and space on the edge of the box over the weekend, which lead to Mexico’s 2-0 undoing. El Tri is in danger of losing their impressive run of progressing to the knockout stages of every World Cup since 1994 and has not gone out in the group stage since 1978.
The odds are highly stacked against Gerard Martino’s side and given their far inferior goal difference, Mexico would need to beat Saudi Arabia by a four-goal margin to qualify, and only if Poland and Argentina played out a draw. Additionally, they need a five-goal swing in their favour if Argentina beat their European counterparts.
Alternatively, Mexico will be through if they win and if Poland gets the better of Argentina, but they have done themselves no favours by failing to score in the 2022 edition so far – out of all the sides to have played two games so far, only Tunisia has also posted zero goals.
Verdict: Both Teams to Score (YES) (15/20)
Goals have not been the order of the day at Qatar 2022, but this one requires it, from both sides. We can expect an end-to-end encounter and goals should be plenty. As for a winner, it’s anybody’s guess here, so don’t be fooled by the odds.
