After a rocky start to the World Cup for Lionel Scaloni’s team thus far, Argentina has to defeat Poland to retain their World Cup destiny in their own hands.
Argentina defeated Mexico 2-0 in their most recent encounter, restoring hopes of making it to the knockout rounds after losing their opening game thanks to a moment of genius from Lionel Messi and a wonderful strike from promising youngster Enzo Fernandez. But they’ll be up against a Polish team that hasn’t given up a goal yet in the tournament and is fired up after Robert Lewandowski scored his first World Cup goal against Saudi Arabia. If Scaloni’s team didn’t win, they would have to rely on Mexico and Saudi Arabia’s results and goal differential to advance, whereas three points for Poland would guarantee them first place in the group.
So far in this World Cup, each team has won a game. Poland will be optimistic about their form after defeating Saudi Arabia 2-0 in their second match, while Argentina will be coming off of a stunning victory over Mexico in their previous match.
Preview
- Matches Played – 11
- Drawn – 2
- Won by Argentina – 6
- Won by Poland– 3
Prediction
Given Argentina’s sluggish tournament debut and Poland’s own stodginess before ultimately defeating Saudi Arabia, this is a very difficult match to predict. Lewandowski and company would be content with a draw and might position themselves to be challenging to defeat. Argentina hasn’t been good at breaking down rigid banks of four during this tournament, and they might find it difficult to do so at Stadium 974. A nation’s hopes for the knockout stage are now in jeopardy as we announce a draw.
Prediction from Standard Sport: 1-1
team news
After a stronger performance saw them defeat Saudi Arabia 2-0, Poland manager Czesaw Michniewicz has no injuries to worry about in his squad and is planning to start the same lineup. Everything depends on playmaker Piotr Zieliski and impactful Lewandowski.
Argentina is also injury-free, and Scaloni is anticipated to keep Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez at the back after his impressive performance against Mexico. Paolo Dybala and Julian Alvarez are available as possible replacements after starting to use Fernandez in the field’s centre after scoring.
lineups
Argentina:
- E. Martinez
- Molina, Pezzella, Otamendi, Acuna
- De Paul, Rodriguez, Lo Celso
- Di Maria, Messi, L Martinez
Poland:
- Szczesny
- Zalewski, Kiwior, Glik, Bednarek, Cash
- Szymanski, Krychowiak, Zieliński
- Lewandowski, Milik
Where To Watch
TV network: The match will be broadcast live and free-to-air in the UK on BBC One, with coverage starting at 6.15 p.m. before the 7 p.m. kickoff.
Live stream: The match will be streamed on the BBC iPlayer.
Summary
The Poland vs. Argentina match is slated to begin at 7 PM GMT on Wednesday, November 30, 2022. The game will be played at Doha’s Stadium 974.