On paper, this is one of those groups where the number one team is already known, and the only dilemma is who will finish second and continue to the second phase: Mexico, Poland, or Saudi Arabia. Argentina is the absolute favorite in this group, we repeat, only on paper. The Argentinians are always favorites, in every World Cup they participated in, and yet they failed to win it since 1986. At the last World Cup in 2018, they managed to get only to the Round of 16. Winning Copa America last year made it possible for Argentina to arrive at the World Cup in complete peace for the first time in this century. The Argentinians firmly believe in themselves, they did not arrive in Qatar as a group of big stars, but they are a group of serious workers and players who have a concrete result in a jersey with the national emblem.Argentina extend their unbeaten run to 36 matches with a 5-0 win vs. UAE 🇦🇷Two games away from beating Italy’s record pic.twitter.com/MZGzEtkC7H— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 16, 2022 Many are ready to call this team a “well-oiled machine”, and that same machine was completely dismantled at the end of a disastrous period under the leadership of the euphoric Jorge Sampaoli. The helm was taken over by his assistant Lionel Scaloni, who had to make a fair effort to earn the trust of the soccer nation. Not only did he succeed in that, but he made a serious team. A big step forward was made last year by winning the first major trophy in 28 years, which meant a lot to Lionel Messi.Group A – Four continents collide as African champions look to break the mould and reach for gloryScalloni has created an ideal mixture of experience and youth, and the main figure is of course Messi, to whom this game definitely owes the most important trophy in the world of football. Unfortunately, Giovanni Lo Celso did not recover from his injury, and he was projected in the starting line-up with De Paul and Paredes, but the fact that Paulo Dybala was on the list, who was crossed out for the World Cup for practically the same reason, boosted the confidence of the nation.Where do they come from: players are mainly from Bayern and the Premier LeagueMexico arrives at the World Cup with a secret desire to finally remove ‘the curse’, considering that since the World Cup in its country back in 1986, it did not manage to reach the famous fifth game at the World Championships. However, many obstacles have faced Gerard Tate Martin’s team in the past period, so it can be said that the expectations of this serious football nation have never been more modest ahead of such a big tournament.##NAJAVA_MECA_6816122##Mexico had some rather lackluster editions in the prelude to the World Cup in Qatar, the selection is burdened by injuries to a large number of key players, and at the final round of world football, quite demanding rivals await it. However, the Mexicans are brave because they know how to handle serious pressure, they have reached the knockout stage in each of the last seven championships, but they are missing that quarter-final. They probably had the most problems with injuries of all the selections, they are not complete, nor in the right shape, but it is always difficult to overcome and eliminate them at the World Cup. It will be the same this time, regardless of which players Tata Martino will be able to use.Group B – Three English-speaking countries and the Islamic Republic they often speak aboutThe chances of the Polish national team in Qatar do not depend solely on Robert Lewandowski, but the great star of Barcelona and European and world football still holds the psychological key to this selection, which without him would lose a lot of character and self-confidence. It is very difficult to predict how far this selection can go in Qatar, but recent Nations League games have shown certain guidelines. Poland was not good enough to beat high-class national teams like Holland and Belgium, but they were stronger than mediocre Wales. So, we shouldn’t expect too much from them, but it is clear that they will seize their moment if they are given the opportunity to advance to the knockout stage.Mexico has not lost a group stage opener at the FIFA World Cup dating back to 1998 🇲🇽 Can El Tri keep its streak going against Poland? 👀 pic.twitter.com/wcKSzyxodr— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 15, 2022 They are constantly present at major competitions, but they are far from the glorious moments of 1974 and 1982 when they were twice third on the planet. The last time they passed the group stage was in 1986 when they suffered a heavy defeat against Brazil (0:4). In Qatar, they hope that the Mexicans will not be in the right shape and that they could beat them at the start of the competition. If that happens, there they are in the knockout stage.##NAJAVA_MECA_6816123##The Frenchman Herve Renard built a serious coaching name in African football after winning the African Cup of Nations with Zambia and the Ivory Coast, so it remains to be seen whether he can repeat something similar in Asia. However, to do something with Saudi Arabia at the upcoming World Cup, he will need a real magic wand. The question is whether he will be able to find it. After a disappointing World Cup in Russia and premature elimination from the 2019 Asian Cup, Saudi Arabia has embarked on a generational change and overhaul of its squad. The job was done very well, as they quickly secured a place in Qatar, suffering only one defeat in the competition of Japan, Australia, Oman, China, and Vietnam. This is Saudi Arabia’s sixth appearance at the World Championships since its debut in 1994 when it went all the way to the round of 16. Since then, they have not managed to reach the knockout stage and it seems it won’t happen in Qatar either.WORLD CUPTuesday, Nov 22nd13:00: (1.18) Argentina (7.25) Saudi Arabia (15.0) C19:00: (2.75) Mexico (2.95) Poland (2.85) CSaturday, Nov 26th16:00: (1.63) Poland (3.80) Saudi Arabia (5.70) C22:00: (1.62) Argentina (3.70) Mexico (6.00) CWednesday, Nov 30th22:00: (5.20) Poland (3.70) Argentina (1.70) C22:00: (5.70) Saudi Arabia (3.80) Mexico (1.63) C***odds are subject to change***
