| Mexico vs Saudi Arabia |
|---|
| SCHEDULE | TIME |
|---|---|
| GAME | Mexico vs Saudi Arabia |
| DATE | 30/11/2022 |
| TIME | 12:30 AM (Indian Standard Time) |
| ARENA | Lusail Stadium |
| LEAGUE | FIFA World Cup 2022 |
| FULL TIME |
|---|
| Mexico [2-1] Saudi Arabia |
Match Preview of Mexico vs Saudi Arabia
The race to qualify from World Cup 2022 Group C is set to go right down to the wire, as Saudi Arabia and Mexico prepare to face off in Wednesday's clash at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
With at least one of Argentina and Poland set to drop points in their top-two battle, all four sides are still in with a shot of progressing to the last-16 stage.
From the highs of defeating tournament favourites Argentina to the lows of a 2-0 loss to Poland, Herve Renard's Saudi Arabia were brought crashing back down to earth at the weekend and missed the opportunity to seal a historic knockout place.
An inspired performance from Wojciech Szczesny helped get Poland over the line, with the Juventus man saving from Salem Al-Dawsari's penalty either side of goals from Piotr Zielinski and Robert Lewandowski, the latter's first at the World Cup at the age of 34.
Having now been bumped down to third in the Group C standings, Saudi Arabia's destiny is still in their own hands, as three points against the Mexicans would safely see them through to the knockout stages for only the second time, having got as far as the last 16 in 1994.
A draw may even be enough if Poland can do them a favour by beating Argentina by at least three goals, but a tally of just four wins from their last 19 matches in all competitions hardly inspires confidence, nor does a 6% clean sheet ratio at the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Mexico learned the hard way about giving Lionel Messi too much time and space on the edge of the box over the weekend, as the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner set Argentina on their way to a pivotal 2-0 win to deepen their fellow Americans' elimination concerns.
Messi found the bottom corner with 64 minutes on the clock before Benfica starlet Enzo Fernandez wrapped up the three points in some fashion with a delightful curling effort, leaving Mexico at real risk of breaking their magnificent streak of top-two finishes.
El Tri have progressed to the knockout stages of every World Cup since 1994 and have not gone out in the group stage since 1978, but Gerardo Martino's side simply have to win and hope that the scoreline and/or goals go in their favour in Poland's clash with Argentina.
Given their far inferior goal difference, Mexico would need to beat Saudi Arabia by a four-goal margin to qualify if Poland and Argentina play out a draw, and they will need a five-goal swing in their favour if Argentina beat their European counterparts.
Our Predicted Lineups
Mexico possible starting lineup:Ochoa; Sanchez, Moreno, Montes, Gallardo; Herrera, Guardado, Chavez; Lozano, Jimenez, Vega
Saudi Arabia possible starting lineup: starting lineup:Alowais; Abdulhamid, Al-Amri, Tambakti, Al-Ghannam; Kanno; Al-Buraikan, Al-Hassan, Al-Najei, Al-Dawsari; Al-Shehri
Who will win the match?
We say: Saudi Arabia 1-2 Mexico. Goal-fests have not been a theme of the 2022 World Cup so far, but an end-to-end encounter should be on the menu here given what is at stake for both sides, especially two who could be a bit more exposed in midfield. Saudi Arabia always carry a threat in the final third with Al-Dawsari, but we have faith in Mexico to finally find their shooting boots and earn the win that may or may not be enough for qualification.