HITC Football previews the Group C game at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar between Poland and Argentina. Both teams enter the Doha tie with a chance to qualify for the Round of 16.
Poland currently lead Group C from Argentina by one point after their first two matches at the quadrennial FIFA tournament. The Bialo-Czerwoni are also the only unbeaten nation in Group C after kicking it off with a 0-0 draw against Mexico before beating Saudi Arabia 2-0.
Saudi Arabia started their Qatar 2022 campaign by stunning Argentina in a 2-1 come-from-behind win at the Lusail Iconic Stadium. Lionel Messi had broken the deadlock in the 10th minute. But La Albiceleste failed to build on the lead with three goals ruled out for offside.
HITC Football previews Poland vs Argentina at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar
Argentina faced the prospect of a potential group stage exit as they faced Mexico in match two on Saturday night. But Messi came up with the magic touch again to score in the 64th minute. Enzo Fernandez then doubled the advantage with three minutes left on the clock.
A Tri win over La Albiceleste would have seen the North American country go into their tie with Saudi Arabia this Wednesday playing to join Poland in the Round of 16. Instead, they now must win while a draw will only be enough for Saudi Arabia if Poland beat Argentina.
A draw will only be enough for Argentina if Saudi Arabia and Mexico’s game also ends as a draw or a Mexico win (depending on goal difference). But they will have a win and the top spot in their sights to avoid a Round of 16 game against potential Group D winners France.
Team News: Michniewicz and Scaloni are likely to have fully-fit squads
Poland boss Czeslaw Michniewicz and his Argentina counterpart Lionel Scaloni are likely to have full-strength squads for their encounter. But Scaloni may rotate from the XI that took a 2-0 win over Mexico after dropping Leandro Paredes and Cristian Romero from the team.
Alexis Mac Allister may wonder if he did enough to retain a starting role after coming in for the Mexico tie. As did full-backs Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel, who replaced Nicolas Tagliafico and Nahuel Molina. Only Acuna played the full 90 minutes as they beat El Tri.
Michniewicz is unlikely to tinker too much with his XI that beat Saudi Arabia after bringing Krystian Bielik in for Sebastian Szymanski. But Arkadiusz Milik may return to the bench for the final Group C fixture after failing to score during his 71 minutes against Saudi Arabia.
What is the head-to-head record between Poland and Argentina?
The 2022 Qatar World Cup has thrown up just the 11th tie between Poland and Argentina across all competitions. The two nations first met in June 1966 in a friendly that finished 1-1. It is one of just two draws between the two nations alongside a 1-1 stalemate in 1984 so far.
Argentina hold the superior record to Poland with six wins to three over their other games so far. But the Bialo-Czerwoni won the last meeting between the two nations 2-1 in 2011. Poland forward Robert Lewandowski started the friendly in Warsaw but he failed to score.
Poland and Argentina have also each won once during matches at World Cups. The Bialo-Czerwoni edged a 3-2 tie in Group 4 at the 1974 tournament en route to finishing in third place. La Albiceleste won a second group stage tie 2-0 in 1978 en route to their first title.
Who is the form side ahead of meeting at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?
Scaloni will oversee his 53rd match as Argentina’s manager when they meet Poland at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. But while the South Americans arrived in the Middle East on the back of a superb run of form, they have not been the team that went 35 games unbeaten.
Losing to Saudi Arabia also dealt Scaloni just his fifth defeat in all competitions since taking charge in August 2018. Meanwhile, Poland only hired Michniewicz in January and have had five wins and three draws from 11 games. He is also now on his best run of results to date.
Poland’s last 10 games: W-W-L-D-L-L-W-W-D-W
Argentina’s last nine games: W-W-D-W-W-W-W-W-L-W
How to watch Poland vs Argentina live in the UK on TV and online
Poland and Argentina’s final Group C game at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is live in the UK on BBC One. Coverage will start at 18:15 GMT on the free-to-air public broadcast television network ahead of kick-off at 19:00 GMT. The match is also available online via BBC iPlayer.
BBC Radio 5 Live will also carry commentary from Stadium 974 with their build-up starting at 18:30 GMT. Coverage will continue from 21:00 GMT with post-match reaction from the two Group C clashes – including Saudi Arabia v Mexico – to decide who makes the last 16.
Poland World Cup facts ahead of Qatar 2022
Current FIFA world ranking: #26
World Cup titles: 0 (best finish of third in 1974 and 1982)
World Cup appearance: 9
How they qualified: Beat Sweden 2-0 in the UEFA Path B play-off final
Argentina World Cup facts ahead of Qatar 2022
Current FIFA world ranking: #3
World Cup titles: 2 (best finish of first in 1978 and 1986)
World Cup appearance: 18
How they qualified: Finished second in the CONMEBOL table on 39 points from 17 games
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