The Argentine is one of the favorites to win in Qatar and a win would fill a void on his resume. But a win or a draw on Tuesday against Saudi Arabia, one of the tournament’s weakest teams, would give Argentina a record-tying result.
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-match unbeaten streak, one shy of breaking Italy’s record in international men’s football, set from 2018–21.
Argentina have not lost since their 2-0 loss to Brazil in the 2019 Copa America. Argentina first won the World Cup in 1978, and again in 1986 – a year before Messi was born. The team reached the final in 2014 and lost to Germany, and four years later were eliminated in the round of 16 in Russia. Meanwhile, Messi is one of the four players who are playing in their fifth World Cup. He is joined by Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Mexico teammates Guillermo Ochoa and Andrés Guardado.
Saudi Arabia were eliminated in the first round in 2018, starting with a 5–0 defeat to hosts Russia. In a tough Group C that includes Mexico and Poland, the Saudis will be seeking a group stage exit for only the second time since 1994. The team has won two of its last 10 matches.
defending champion
Defending champions France will play against Australia on Tuesday in a rematch from four years ago.
France won 2-1 in Russia when Paul Pogba’s shot in the 81st minute was deflected off a defender for an own goal. Pogba is out after knee surgery, and France are also down two other stars with N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema sidelined.
France expect defender Raphael Varane to play after suffering a hamstring injury in October.
Kylian Mbappe is set to lead France to consecutive titles. He was only 19 when he scored in the final and helped France win the World Cup four years earlier. With 28 international goals, Embappé will be looking to add to his tally in the Group D opener.
However, France arrived in Qatar with only one win in their last six matches.
Australia barely made the World Cup field and needed a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Peru in the playoffs. The Socceroos have been knocked out of the group stage in four of their last five matches.
other sports
Mexico faces Poland, while Denmark plays Tunisia on 11 consecutive days with four games played each day.
Poland entered the World Cup behind striker Robert Lewandowski, who scored nine goals with four assists in qualification. His 13 direct-goal partnerships were twice as many as any teammate.
However, he never scored at the World Cup as Poland finished last in their group in 2018. The Barcelona striker is eager to score in Qatar.
“I definitely think about the last World Cup,” Lewandowski said. “Scoring in the World Cup would be a huge dream and I am going to do everything for this dream. I hope it happens in this World Cup. Whatever I have achieved and these memories for the World Cup Happy to have.” So now is the time to enjoy.”
Poland was last eliminated from the group stage in 1986.
Meanwhile, Mexico has been eliminated from group play in each of its last eight appearances, last failing to advance in 1978. The national team has also won its first match in five of its last six World Cups.
Christian Eriksen comes on to play for Denmark against Tunisia, 17 months after being revived on the field during the European Championship.
The Manchester United midfielder’s presence will be inspirational for Denmark, who sailed through their World Cup qualifying group winning their first nine games – with clean sheets through the first eight.
Tunisia has been strong in keeping games tight, but its World Cup record is not good: Tunisia has lost 60% of its World Cup games (nine out of 15), trailing only Saudi Arabia and Australia.
chaos outside
The first few days of the World Cup have been marred by logistical problems, the latest on Monday when fans complained that tickets for the England-Iran match had gone missing from their mobile FIFA applications.
Long queues formed outside the Khalifa International Stadium about an hour before the start of the match and fans went berserk lest they could get inside.
The night before, the official fan area became increasingly congested during the opening match between host nations Qatar and Ecuador. Tens of thousands of fans pushed against a police line to enter the venue, making it one of the few places where fans could buy beer and watch the game.
Davis Update
Canada coach John Herdman is expected to give a medical update on Tuesday about Alphonso Davies, who arrived in Qatar last week after receiving treatment on a hamstring strain he picked up this month while playing for Bayern Munich.
Bayern have said Davies’ participation in Qatar was “not at risk”, but he has not played since the November 5 injury.
“My mission is to make sure he plays in this World Cup, it’s a childhood dream for him,” Herdmann said. “And he shouldn’t be put in a position where he’s vulnerable.”
Read about all 32 teams playing in the World Cup.
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