Argentina will play Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in the opening match of Group C at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The South Americans are two-time winners of the competition and many envision them to make those three, with iconic figure Lionel Messi confirming it will be his last World Cup.
They qualified for Qatar without even losing a game and are unbeaten since losing to rivals Brazil in the 2019 Copa América, some 36 games.
Lionel Messi will kick off his final World Cup campaign when Argentina takes on Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Arabian team pictured in training in Doha as they prepare for their opening match.
Argentina will be hoping for a big win over the Saudis to build momentum at the start of the tournament.
But their opponents won’t be easy to convince, as they topped their Asian qualifying group ahead of Japan and Australia. They will also have good support given their proximity to Qatar.
sports mail takes you through everything you need to know before the game.
When is Argentina vs Saudi Arabia?
The match is the first in Pool C of the 2022 World Cup and will kick off on Tuesday at 10am UK time, 5am EST in the US and 8pm Australian Eastern time.
Date: tuesday november 22
Weather: 10am (UK), 5am (US) and 8pm (Australian Eastern Time)
The Argentine fans show their colors in Doha before the start of the tournament
How to watch the game
The match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia will be broadcast live on ITV1 in the UK (STV in Scotland), as well as broadcast on ITV Hub and STV Player. The coverage will begin at 9 in the morning, one hour before the start.
In the United States, the game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1, Telemundo, fubo TV, DirecTV Stream, Peacock Premium, Vidgo and Sling Blue.
Australian viewers can tune in to the game via SBS, which will televise every match during the 2022 World Cup. SBS On Demand will also broadcast the Argentina vs Saudi Arabia game for those on the go.
If you can’t watch the game live, you can relive the action via the FIFA YouTube channel (worldwide). The official YouTube channel will post highlight videos after each game.
UK: ITV1 and STV
USA: Fox Sports 1, Telemundo, fubo TV, DirecTV Stream, Peacock Premium, Vidgo and Sling Blue
Australia: SBS and SBS on demand
ITV’s expert line-up for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar includes Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Ian Wright and Graeme Souness among those in the studio.
Where is Argentina vs Saudi Arabia played?
Tuesday’s match will be played at the Lusail Iconic Stadium, which seats 80,000 and is therefore the largest used in the tournament.
It is located in Lusail, about 23 km north of the capital Doha, where most of the matches will be played.
Construction of the Lusail Iconic Stadium began in 2017 and was completed in November 2021, with the official opening on 9 September this year, when it hosted the Lusail Super Cup.
It will host 10 matches during the World Cup, including the final on December 18.
Location: Lusail, Qatar
Stadium: Iconic Lusail Stadium
The colorful Lusail Iconic will host the match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia
Argentina vs Saudi Arabia: Team News
Argentina have already had to make some forced changes to their 26-man World Cup squad due to injury concerns.
Nicolás González, the Fiorentina forward, retired and was replaced by Ángel Correa of Atlético Madrid on Thursday.
On the same day, Joaquín Correa, the Inter Milan striker, was also dropped by manager Lionel Scaloni and Atlanta United’s Thiago Almada was brought in as his replacement.
There was some concern among Argentine fans when star Messi fell to the ground after a heavy challenge in their warm-up match against the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, but he appears to be doing well.
Lautaro Martínez, the forward of Inter Milan, will look to score some goals during the World Cup
ARGENTINE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Franco Armani (River Plate), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Villarreal).
Defenders: Marcos Acuña (Sevilla), Juan Foyth (Villarreal), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Germán Pezzella (Real Betis), Cristian Romero (Tottenham) ), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon).
Midfielders: Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid), Enzo Fernández (Benfica), Alejandro Gómez (Sevilla), Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Leandro Paredes (Juventus), Guido Rodríguez (Real Betis), Thiago Almada (atlanta united)
Forward: Julián Álvarez (Manchester City), Joaquín Correa (Inter Milan), Paulo Dybala (Roma), Ángel Di María (Juventus), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan), Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain), Ángel Correa (Atlético de Madrid).
The French coach of Saudi Arabia, Hervé Renard, has also had to modify his squad. Fahad Al-Muwallad was replaced by Nawaf Al-Abed on November 13 after the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed a decision to lift Al-Muwallad’s 18-month suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.
Abdulelah Al-Amri, the Saudi Arabian defender, poses for his portrait before the World Cup.
SAUDI ARABIA SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Mohamed Al-Owais (Al-Hilal), Nawaf Al-Aqidi (Al-Nassr), Mohamed Al-Yami (Al-Ahly).
Defenders: Yasser Al-Shahrani (Al-Hilal), Ali Al-Bulaihi (Al-Hilal), Abdulelah Al-Amri (Al-Nassr), Abdullah Madu (Al-Nassr), Hassan Tambakti (Al-Shabab), Sultan Al-Ghanam (Al-Nassr), Mohammed Al-Breik (Al-Hilal), Saud Abdulhamid (Al-Hilal).
Midfielders: Salman Al-Faraj (Al-Hilal), Riyadh Sharahili (Abha), Ali Al-Hassan (Al-Nassr), Mohamed Kanno (Al-Hilal), Abdulelah Al-Malki (Al-Hilal), Sami Al-Najei (Al -Nassr), Abdullah Otayf (Al-Hilal), Nasser Al-Dawsari (Al-Hilal), Abdulrahman Al-Aboud (Ittihad), Salem Al-Dawsari (Al-Hilal), Hattan Bahebri (Al-Shabab).
Forward: Nawaf Al-Abed (Al-Shabab), Haitham Asiri (Al-Ahly), Saleh Al-Shehri (Al-Hilal) Firas Al-Buraikan (Al-Fateh).
head to head record
The two teams have met four times, with Argentina winning twice and drawing twice.
The first two came as part of the Copa Oro Bicentenario in July 1988, the first ending 2-2 and Argentina winning 2-0 in the second.
They played in the 1992 FIFA Confederations Cup, which resulted in a 3-1 victory for Argentina.
Their last meeting was in November 2012, a goalless draw.
Group C appliances
tuesday november 22
Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia; Mexico vs Poland
Saturday November 25
Poland vs Saudi Arabia; Argentina vs. Mexico
Wednesday November 30
Poland vs. Argentina; Saudi Arabia vs Mexico
