Two of this generation’s soccer icons will get one final chance to prove themselves on the World Cup stage in Group C as Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Poland’s Robert Lewandowski do battle in Qatar.
2022 World Cup Group C preview
Argentina
- FIFA Rank: 3rd
- Qualification: 2nd place in CONMEBOL qualifying
- Previous World Cup appearances: 17
- Best finish: Champions (1978, 1986)
- Odds to win group: -250
- Odds to make knockout stage: -1600
- Odds to win World Cup: +500
One of the favorites to win it all, Argentina’s patient midfield play headlines an attractive brand of soccer that is flush with premier talent — especially up front with Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, and Lautaro Martinez. This is Messi’s last chance to get Argentina to the mountaintop and further cement himself as one of the greatest of all time and the greatest Argentinian soccer player ever. If not, Diego Maradona will always have the World Cup trophy over the PSG talisman.
X-Factor: Lionel Messi This will always be the obvious choice as long as Messi suits up for La Albiceleste. The talisman of a nation, a player who we’ll be talking about for decades after he’s hung up his boots, he’ll need to be the Messi we’ve always known. But he has a lot more help in 2022 compared to World Cups past.
Argentina World Cup Roster
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa |
| Goalkeeper | Franco Armani | River Plate |
| Goalkeeper | Geronimo Rulli | Villarreal |
| Defender | Marcos Acuna | Sevilla |
| Defender | Juan Foyth | Villarreal |
| Defender | Lisandro Martinez | Manchester United |
| Defender | Nicolas Tagliafico | Lyon |
| Defender | Cristian Romero | Tottenham |
| Defender | Nicolas Otamendi | Benfica |
| Defender | Nahuel Molina | Atletico Madrid |
| Defender | Gonzalo Montiel | Sevilla |
| Defender | German Pezzella | Real Betis |
| Midfielder | Angel Di Maria | Juventus |
| Midfielder | Leandro Paredes | Juventus |
| Midfielder | Rodrigo De Paul | Atletico Madrid |
| Midfielder | Alexis Mac Allister | Brighton |
| Midfielder | Enzo Fernandez | Benfica |
| Midfielder | Exequiel Palacios | Bayer Leverkusen |
| Midfielder | Guido Rodriguez | Real Betis |
| Forward | Lionel Messi | PSG |
| Forward | Lautaro Martinez | Inter Milan |
| Forward | Paulo Dybala | Roma |
| Forward | Joaquin Correa | Inter Milan |
| Forward | Julian Alvarez | Manchester City |
| Forward | Nicolas Gonzalez | Fiorentina |
| Forward | Alejandro Gomez | Sevilla |
Mexico
- FIFA Rank: 13th
- Qualification: 2nd place in CONCACAF qualifiers
- Previous World Cup appearances: 16
- Best finish: Quarterfinals (1970, 1986)
- Odds to win group: +450
- Odds to make knockout stage: -120
- Odds to win World Cup: +13000
Will the Round of 16 curse continue for El Tri? They’ve been knocked out at the World Cup at that stage in each of the last seven tournaments. This is a tamer version of Mexico, who has sacrificed an expressive style of play for a more methodical approach. It’s resulted in some major question marks entering the tournament considering recent difficulties finding the back of the net.
X-Factor: Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano An experienced midfielder plying his trade in Italy’s Serie A for Napoli, Lozano will be invaluable for Mexico’s attacking hopes down the wing of the midfield. He’s quick on the ball and awfully tough to dispossess.
Mexico World Cup Roster
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Rodolfo Cota | Leon |
| Goalkeeper | Guillermo Ochoa | Club America |
| Goalkeeper | Alfredo Talavera | Juarez |
| Defender | Kevin Alvarez | Pachukca |
| Defender | Nestor Araujo | Club America |
| Defender | Gerardo Arteaga | Genk |
| Defender | Jesus Gallardo | Monterrey |
| Defender | Cesar Montes | Monterrey |
| Defender | Hector Moreno | Monterrey |
| Defender | Jorge Sanchez | Ajax |
| Defender | Johan Vasquez | Cremonese |
| Defender | Edson Alvarez | Ajax |
| Midfielder | Luis Chavez | Pachuca |
| Midfielder | Andres Guardado | Real Betis |
| Midfielder | Erick Gutierrez | PSV |
| Midfielder | Hector Herrera | Houston Dynamo |
| Midfielder | Carlos Rodriguez | Cruz Azul |
| Midfielder | Luis Romo | Monterrey |
| Forward | Orbelin Pineda | AEK Athens |
| Forward | Roberto Alvarado | Chivas |
| Forward | Uriel Antuna | Cruz Azul |
| Forward | Rogelio Funes Mori | Monterrey |
| Forward | Raul Jimenez | Wolverhampton |
| Forward | Hirving Lozano | Napoli |
| Forward | Henry Martin | Club America |
| Forward | Alexis Vega | Chivas |
Poland
- FIFA Rank: 26th
- Qualification: Defeated Sweden in UEFA play-off
- Previous World Cup appearances: 7
- Best finish: 3rd place (1974, 1982)
- Odds to win group: +400
- Odds to make knockout stage: -110
- Odds to win World Cup: +15000
Despite having one of the country’s greatest players ever within their ranks in Robert Lewandowski, Poland has been remarkably mediocre. They didn’t qualify for the World Cup in 2010 or 2014 before getting bounced out of the group stage in 2018. The hope for the White and Red in 2022 is a strong attacking front lives up to expectations.
X-Factor: Robert Lewandowski Lewandowski has never been able to replicate the club success he’s had with Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, or Barcelona on the big stage for Poland. But he has one more chance to do so in Qatar to prove that his country should be taken seriously on the world stage.
Poland World Cup Roster
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Wojciech Szczęsny | Juventus |
| Goalkeeper | Łukasz Skorupski | Bologna |
| Goalkeeper | Bartłomiej Dragowski | Spezia |
| Defender | Kamil Glik | Benevento |
| Defender | Bartosz Bereszyński | Sampdoria |
| Defender | Jan Bednarek | Aston Villa |
| Defender | Matty Cash | Aston Villa |
| Defender | Robert Gumny | Augsburg |
| Defender | Artur Jędrzejcyk | Legia Warsaw |
| Defender | Jakub Kiwior | Spezia |
| Defender | Mateusz Wieteska | Clermont |
| Defender | Nicola Zalewski | Roma |
| Midfielder | Piotr Zieliński | Napoli |
| Midfielder | Kamil Grosicki | Pogoń Szczecin |
| Midfielder | Grzegorz Krychowiak | Al-Shabab Riyadh |
| Midfielder | Damian Szymański | AEK Athens |
| Midfielder | Sebastian Szymański | Feyenoord |
| Midfielder | Przemysław Frankowski | RC Lens |
| Midfielder | Krystian Bielik | Birmingham City |
| Midfielder | Jakub Kamiński | Wolfsburg |
| Midfielder | Michal Skoras | Lech Poznan |
| Midfielder | Szymon Żurkowski | Fiorentina |
| Forward | Robert Lewandowski | Barcelona |
| Forward | Arkadiusz Milik | Juventus |
| Forward | Krzysztof Piatek | Salernitana |
| Forward | Karol Świderski | Charlotte FC |
Saudi Arabia
- FIFA Rank: 51st
- Qualification: Group B winners in AFC qualifiers
- Previous World Cup appearances: 5
- Best finish: Round of 16 (1994)
- Odds to win group: +2200
- Odds to make knockout stage: +600
- Odds to win World Cup: +80000
A team that likes to push, the Green Falcons are going to stack the midfield in hopes of providing some attacking promise to a team that will likely spend the group stage on the back foot. That doesn’t mean one should take Saudi Arabia lightly, but a roster that entirely plays its domestic soccer in the country lacks international experience against the world’s best.
X-Factor: Salem Al-Dawsari The Saudi winger did spend some time with Spain’s Villarreal, which is as much experience outside the country as the squad can boast. He will be their most inventive player down the right wing.
Saudi Arabia World Cup Roster
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Mohamed Al-Owais | Al-Hilal |
| Goalkeeper | Nawaf Al-Aqidi | Al-Nassr |
| Goalkeeper | Mohamed Al-Yami | Al-Ahly |
| Defender | Yasser Al-Shahrani | Al-Hilal |
| Defender | Ali Al-Bulaihi | Al-Hilal |
| Defender | Abdulelah Al-Amri | Al-Nassr |
| Defender | Abdullah Madu | Al-Nassr |
| Defender | Hassan Tambakti | Al-Shabab |
| Defender | Sultan Al-Ghanam | Al-Nassr |
| Defender | Mohammed Al-Breik | Al-Hilal |
| Defender | Saud Abdulhamid | Al-Hilal |
| Midfielder | Salman Al-Farag | Al-Hilal |
| Midfielder | Riyadh Sharahili | Abha |
| Midfielder | Ali Al-Hassan | Al-Nassr |
| Midfielder | Mohamed Kanno | Al-Hilal |
| Midfielder | Abdulelah Al-Malki | Al-Hilal |
| Midfielder | Sami Al-Najel | Al-Nassr |
| Midfielder | Abdullah Otayf | Al-Hilal |
| Midfielder | Nasser Al-Dawsari | Al-Hilal |
| Midfielder | Abdulrahman Al-Aboud | Ittihad |
| Midfielder | Salem Al-Dawsari | Al-Hilal |
| Midfielder | Hattan Bahebri | Al-Shabab |
| Forward | Fahad Al-Muwallad | Al-Shabab |
| Forward | Haitham Asiri | Al-Ahly |
| Forward | Saleh Al-Shehri | Al-Hilal |
| Forward | Firas Al-Burakan | Al-Fateh |
*Odds courtesy of DraftKings
2022 World Cup Group C schedule
| Date | Match | Time | TV |
| Tuesday, Nov. 22 | Argentina v. Saudi Arabia | 5 AM | FS1 |
| Tuesday, Nov. 22 | Mexico v. Poland | 11 AM | FOX |
| Saturday, Nov. 26 | Poland v. Saudi Arabia | 8 AM | FS1 |
| Saturday, Nov. 26 | Argentina v. Mexico | 2 PM | FOX |
| Wednesday, Nov. 30 | Saudi Arabia v. Mexico | 2 PM | FS1 |
| Wednesday, Nov. 30 | Poland v. Argentina | 2 PM | FOX |
For more on the 2022 FIFA World Cup, visit AMNY.com
