Argentina vs Saudi Arabia is the upcoming match as Lionel Messi begins his last dance, his last opportunity to win the ultimate prize in football.
Match Details:
- Location: Al Daayen, Qatar
- Stadium: Lusail Stadium
- Date: Tuesday 22 November
- Kick-off Time: 3:30 PM IST
- Watch: Sports 18/HD, Jio Cinema App
Argentina vs Saudi Arabia: Match Preview:
Argentina face Saudi Arabia on Tuesday morning in the first match for one of the World Cup's favourites.
Lionel Scaloni's side are unbeaten in competitive matches since losing to Brazil in the semi-final of the 2019 Copa America. Argentina were crowned champions of South America in 2021 and come into the competition without the familiar maelstrom of unease which has accompanied their recent World Cup appearances.
Saudi Arabia don't boast quite the same lofty billing. The Green Falcons are the second-lowest-ranked
Team News:
Argentina:
Tottenham's Cristian Romero is Scaloni's chief concern. The combative centre-back missed the last four weeks of Premier League football and didn't make the bench for Argentina's final pre-World Cup friendly against the UAE on Wednesday.
Paulo Dybala was a surprise inclusion after sitting out eight matches for Roma with a hamstring problem but came off the bench in the Giallorossi's final game before the winter break.
Saudi Arabia:
A potential headache for Herve Renard coming into the tournament revolved around the availability of Saudi Arabia's star forward Salem Al-Dawsari.
However, the 'Tornado' has recovered from appendix surgery in time to feature in the Kingdom's final pre-World Cup friendly against Croatia.
Predicted Line-ups:
Argentina Starting 11 (4-3-3): E Martinez; Molina, Otamendi, Li Martinez, Acuna; De Paul, Paredes, Mac Allister; Messi, La Martinez, Di Maria.
Bench: Armani, Rulli, Foyth, Tagliafico, Montiel, Pezzella, Romero, Palacios, Gomez, Rodriguez, Fernandez, Alvarez, Gonzalez, Correa, Dybala.
Saudi Arabia Starting 11 (4-3-3): Al-Owais; Al-Ghanam, Al-Amri, Al-Bulaihi, Al-Shahrani; Al-Najei, Sharahili, Al-Faraj; S Al-Dawsari, Al-Buraikan, Bahebri.
Bench: Al-Rubaie, Ol-Aqidi, Madu, Al-Breik, Abdulhamid, Al-Tambakti, Al-Malki, Otayf, Al-Hassan, Al-Abed, Kanno, N Al-Dawsari, Al-Shehri, Al-Aboud, Asiri.