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Preview: Argentina Vs Saudi Arabia - Predictions, Team News, Lineups

The FIFA World Cup in 1986 is La Albiceleste's latest glory and the Argentines were also obsessed with the image of Lionel Messi passing the World Cup trophy. This tournament in Qatar is known as the last World Cup of the GOAT. If Messi doesn't want to be under Maradona's shadow forever, this is truly his last opportunity.

Preview

Source: Dohacityguide

'I feel very good': Argentina’s Lionel Messi ahead of Saudi match.
Captain Lionel Messi said he is ready both physically and mentally for the World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Before that, he was reportedly described as having "muscle overload" when being absent for a scheduled team training open to media. He trained individually on Friday and Saturday, but, as having said, everything is under control.
Messi and his teammate come to Qatar with the Copa America title and a record of 36 unbeaten matches. Amazingly, 36 is also the number of years La Albiceleste couldn't bring the World Cup trophy to their country.
La Albiceleste's recent quintet of wins has been accompanied by five clean sheets and a whopping 16 goals - at least 3 in every game - and the final friendly warm-up versus the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday finished in an understandable 5-0 triumph.
Argentina and Saudi Arabia have never met at the finals of a World Cup before, but the Albiceleste boasts a record of two victories and two draws from their previous four clashes with the Asian nation, most lately being held to a goalless stalemate in a 2012 friendly match.

Source: khelnow

Saudi Arabia held the honor of opening the 2018 World Cup against host nation Russia, but that 5-0 defeat was a forgettable experience for the Arabian Falcons, who will likely be fearing the same fate versus a rampant Argentina on Tuesday.
Under the leadership of Coach Hervé Renard, the Saudis have been in training for a couple of weeks after domestic competitions were halted so players could concentrate on the World Cup.
A last-16 finish in 1994 represents Saudi Arabia's sole progression beyond the group stage of the World Cup so far, and the world's 51st-ranked nation does not arrive in Qatar in the best of form, having won just 2 of their last 10 games in all tournaments.
Argentina form (all competitions):
  • D W W W W W
Saudi Arabia form (all competitions):
  • W D D L D W

Source: diariomas


Predicted Starting Lineups/ Team News

  • Argentina 

E. Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; De Paul, Paredes, Gomez; Messi, L. Martinez, Di Maria
  • Saudi Arabia

Al-Owais; Al-Burayk, Al-Amri, Al-Bulahyi, Al-Shahrani; Kanno, Al-Malki; Al-Shehri, Al-Faraj, Al-Daswari; Al-Buraikan
Lisandro Martinez (discomfort) and Guido Rodriguez (illness) are both tagged as doubtful, though, while Joaquin Correa has been pushed to withdraw injured, and has been replaced by Thiago Almada.
Considering he is fit enough, Messi will expect to form an intimidating attacking trident with Lautaro Martinez and Angel Di Maria, while Cristian Romero and Nicolas Otamendi could be set at the back if Martinez is spared.
As for Saudi Arabia, five-cap midfielder Riyadh Sharahili has reportedly maintained muscular trouble that has thrown his World Cup hopes into doubt, while defender Hassan Tambakti is now back in full training after healing from discomfort.
Star man Salem Al-Dawsari will be considered to occupy the left flank for Saudi Arabia, as Saleh Al-Shehri - the joint top goalscorer in the third round of AFC qualifying with 4 goals- forms on the opposite side.

When will Argentina vs Saudi Arabia World Cup opening match kick off?

Argentina vs Saudi Arabia will kick off at 5 am ET / 10 am GMT / 12 pm CAT / 3:30 pm IST at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.

Predictions

Argentina 3-0 Saudi Arabia


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