Group C Predictions > Nov 22nd - 30th

[StevieDay1983]

Group C offers up some intriguing games but it's Argentina who are firm favourites to top the group. Some people are even backing Lionel Messi and co to go all the way and win the World Cup. Saudi Arabia are understandably the team anticipated to finish bottom. That leaves Mexico and Poland battling it out for 2nd place. Could we see this group decided after the first round of games?

[StevieDay1983]

Argentina

One of the big pre-tournament favourites are up in Group C and it's easy to see why Lionel Scaloni's men are being tipped to win their first World Cup since 1986. The White and Sky Blue are now on a 36-game unbeaten run which stretches back to 6th July, 2019. The team are closing in on Italy's undefeated record that helped the Azzurri win he 2020 European Championship. The 4-3-3 set-up that allows the front three of Lautaro Martinez, Lionel Messi, and Angel Di Maria to run riot helped steer the nation to the 2021 Copa America title. It's now 7 clean sheets from their last 8 matches played and the 3-0 win over Italy back in June was a major statement. There is still the feeling that Argentina are prone to an off-day against the elite teams and they are just as likely to come undone against one of their rivals for the trophy as they are to sweep them aside. I still feel the winner is likely to come from a projected Semi-Final game between Argentina and Brazil. I just feel Brazil edge it at the moment and will use the Copa America defeat last year as motivation for revenge.

Odds to Win World Cup: 11/2

Odds to Qualify from Group C 1/12

My Prediction: Semi-Finals

 

Saudi Arabia

It's a strange one that Saudi Arabia breezed through qualification for this tournament ahead of the likes of Japan and Australia in their Asia qualification section and they don't have to travel far to play here yet they remain huge outsiders for many. Maybe it's the fact that all 26 players included in the squad for this tournament play their football in the Saudi Professional League. Head coach Herve Renard has a proven track record of taking underdog nations and turning them into winners. The Frenchman has won the Africa Cup of Nations with both Zambia in 2012 and Ivory Coast in 2015. The team have only lost 1 of their last 8 games but that was their most recent outing in a 1-0 defeat to Croatia and it is also a run that included 5 draws. There is a feel-good atmosphere around the camp though and Renard's decision to turn the Saudis into a hard team to beat won't win any awards for attractive football but it could see them cause problems for other teams in this group.

Odds to Win World Cup: 750/1

Odds to Qualify from Group C 5/1

My Prediction: Group Stage

 

Mexico

OK, shall we all just agree now that Mexico will qualify from this group and suffer elimination in the last 16? It's happened at every World Cup since 1994 and with this Mexican side boasting a lot of the same players from previous campaigns it does have a sense of inevitability about it. Head coach Gerardo Martino will lead El Tri into this tournament and he's got pedigree at international level having guided Paraguay to the 2010 World Cup Quarter-Finals and Argentina to two Copa America Finals where he suffered defeat to Chile on penalties in both. This Mexico team has some familiar faces in the likes of captain Andres Guardado, attacker Hirving Lozano, and striker Raul Jimenez plus other individuals performing in the European leagues such as Jorge Sanchez, Edson Alvarez, and Orbelin Pineda. The team have suffered from inconsistency in the run-up to this tournament with just 2 wins from their last 6 matches and they stumbled through qualifying in the CONCACAF section finishing behind group winners Canada. There appears to be a lot of pessimism surrounding the team and Martino's reliance on the older players. Is this a tournament too far for this generation? The game with Poland could prove crucial.

Odds to Win World Cup: 150/1

Odds to Qualify from Group C 10/11

My Prediction: Group Stage

 

Poland

If there is one team that I'm finding hard to judge heading into this tournament then it's Poland. I wasn't overly impressed with them during the UEFA Nations League campaign. Yes, they beat Wales 2-1 in Wroclaw and 1-0 in Cardiff but both times Wales suffered from a severely depleted squad and probably should come away with something in both games. Head coach Czeslaw Michniewicz has managed to make it back-to-back 1-0 wins for his team after a clean sheet warm-up win over Chile this week but this is still an Eagles side struggling to get results against the so-called "bigger teams". The team haven't made it to the last 16 of a World Cup since 1986 but they do possess a match-winner of world class quality in Robert Lewandowski and also possess a number of talented players including Kamil Glik, Piotr Zielinski, and Arkadiusz Milik. It's fair to say that their tournament expectations are so finely balanced that failing to qualify from this group would be deemed a disaster yet reaching the last 16 and beyond would be considered a huge success. Individuals could help them achieve those goals but individuals can only get you so far.

Odds to Win World Cup: 150/1

Odds to Qualify from Group C 10/11

My Prediction: Last 16

[StevieDay1983]

It's an early start on Tuesday for the Group C action with many people's pre-tournament favourites Argentina taking on competition outsiders Saudi Arabia at 10am GMT before we have Mexico versus Poland at 4pm GMT which looks set to be a decisive game in the battle for second place. I think it's looking clear that Argentina should breeze through that opening game. There's nothing that I've seen from Saudi Arabia that makes me think they can cause Lionel Messi and co problems. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a similar development to what we saw in the England versus Iran match on Monday. The Mexico versus Poland game is tougher to call. The two sides are very evenly matched and I wouldn't be surprised if it ends in a draw but maybe Poland could sneak a win.

Argentina vs Saudi Arabia (Tuesday, 10am GMT)

Argentina HT/FT @ 4/7 with SpreadEx

Argentina -2 @ 11/8 with Betfair

Mexico vs Poland (Tuesday, 4pm GMT)

Draw @ 21/10 with Betfred

Anytime Scorer: Robert Lewandowski @ 2/1 with Bet365

[StefanBB]

Argentina vs Saudi Arabia

Argentina has a lot of quality players in their squad, which is why it's surprising that they only won two World Cups in history. They are one of the best and most popular picks for the December World Cup title, and their first game in the group stage shouldn't present any difficulty for them. La Albiceleste booked five straight wins, and they suffered the last defeat in the summer of 2019. They easily qualified for the tournament from the top spot in the CONMEBOL zone with no losses on record, and they have one of the best arrays of footballers to pick from, so winning shouldn't be a problem for Argentina. Lionel Messi is playing perhaps the last World Cup, so the desire for the trophy will be even greater. Nevertheless, Argentina should continue being confident to have a successful start to the campaign.

Saudi Arabia has been dubbed the current odd man out in Group C because they aren't the favorites against the other three teams. Green Falcons drew the short stick when they were drawn to play in the group stage against Argentina, Poland, and Mexico. The Asian representative cannot be happy with its recent results since it won only twice on the previous ten occasions. Saudi Arabia lost to Croatia 1-0 in its final check before the tournament. They don't have many popular footballers on their team, but when the competition begins, you should watch out for Firas Al-Buraikan, who is the team's best shot at striking back in the tournament games ahead. Saudi Arabia is an underdog in this match, but it doesn't mean these guys will surrender without a fight.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction                                                                            

Argentina has been in excellent form, and Saudi Arabia shouldn't pose much trouble. Therefore, we think Leo Messi and the lads will celebrate a win by at least two goals.

Goals Market Prediction

The South American champions managed to keep their net intact five times in a row. Saudi Arabia will be mostly focused on defense, and Argentina should record another clean sheet. 

Argentina AH -2 @ 1.92

BTTS No @ 1.45

Correct score 3:0 @ 6.50

[harry_rag]

Done Messi brace at 4/1 Hills for an interest, not a bad price.

[StevieDay1983]

54 minutes ago, harry_rag said:

Done Messi brace at 4/1 Hills for an interest, not a bad price.

That first goal coming so early makes it look a steal. There's definitely more Argentina goals in this. They just need to pick it up a bit.

[harry_rag]

Interesting now! Taken 8/5 for over 2 cards with Hills. Big given the scoreline and current spread price.

[StevieDay1983]

1 minute ago, harry_rag said:

Interesting now! Taken 8/5 for over 2 cards with Hills. Big given the scoreline and current spread price.

Great pick. Tackles been meaty all game as well. Imagine with teams resorting to time wasting and desperation to keep the ball with the tight score-line that we'll see a couple more bookings handed out. I need a late Argentine revival to see at least one of my picks come in. Disappointing from them!

[StevieDay1983]

Saturday takes us back to Group C which has provided arguably the biggest shock result of recent World Cup memory when Saudi Arabia beat Argentina and deservedly so. The pressure is now on for Lionel Messi and his team mates to win against Mexico otherwise they risk being eliminated with a group game remaining. Meanwhile, in the other game, it's a massive opportunity for both Saudi Arabia and Poland to take a big step towards the last 16 if they can pick up a win. Do Herve Renard's men have anything left after that emotionally and physically draining opening game?

Poland vs Saudi Arabia (Saturday, 1pm GMT)

Poland to Win @ 9/10 with Sporting Index

Total Goals Scored Over 2.5 @ 6/4 with Bet365

Argentina vs Mexico (Saturday, 7pm GMT)

Draw HT/ Argentina FT @ 10/3 with William Hill

Anytime Scorer: Lautaro Martinez @ 21/10 with William Hill

 

[StefanBB]

Argentina vs Mexico

Argentina is one of the favorites in this World Cup, as it has always been, and their current form is unbelievable. La Albiceleste had not lost a game in 35 consecutive matches, and we definitely did not expect them to lose their first match or at all in the group stage. They suffered the most terrible defeat possible and now have to win both of their other games against much stronger teams than Saudi Arabia. Despite having a halftime lead and three goals disallowed by VAR in the first 45 minutes, Argentina heavily underestimated the Asian side. Saudi Arabia turned around the result quickly, and Argentina failed to find a way to the opponent’s net due to the severe pressure of failure. The pressure won’t fade ahead of this game, and they need to cope with it the best way they can.

Mexico qualified without serious difficulties, with only two defeats in their World Cup qualifiers out of 14 games. Now, the team will have the ambition to reach further than the first knockout round. They got to this stage in 7 consecutive WC tournaments but always lost at this point. We saw their potential in the match against Poland – the question is whether they can score goals too. Hirving' Chucky' Lozano has provided six goal contributions for Napoli this season, and his pace could provide a real threat to the Albiceleste backline. El Tri can hardly have a tougher opponent, but they want to secure a positive result in this encounter.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction                                                                            

Although they are shocked after the opening game in the tournament, we believe the Argentina squad will have a positive response in this game. Therefore, they should book a valuable win against Mexico.

Goals Market Prediction

Their head-to-head clashes have been pretty efficient, and five of their previous seven encounters went over a 2.5 margin. We think the crowd should enjoy at least three goals in total in this match.

Argentina to Win @ 1.60

Over 2.5 FT @ 2.05

Correct score 2:1 @ 8.50

[StefanBB]

Poland vs Argentina

Interestingly, Poland leads the way in Group C, being a point ahead of Argentina and Saudi Arabia. After a goalless draw against Mexico, Orły celebrated a lucky 2-0 win against the Asian team. However, the problem with Poland's national team is that they rely solely on Robert Lewandowski. If he does not perform at his usual best, the team is nothing more than an average squad without huge potential. Poland didn't impress in both matches so far, and the toughest opponent is ahead of them. Moreover, their rivals still haven't secured a ticket for the knockout round, and Poland needs to give its best to book a positive result in this match.

Argentina has players like Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Martinez Lautaro, Paulo Dybala, and others playing for them, and they have created and tested their team with better efficiency than Poland. La Albiceleste has also managed to get further and even win the World Cup two times, while Poland's success ended in the 1990s, and despite qualifying three times, they only managed to get to the group stage and not further. However, the South American champions made their campaign much tougher after losing to Saudi Arabia, and a win here is a must for them. Nevertheless, their game against Mexico looked better than in the tournament opener, and they now face a direct rival for the knockout stage spot.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction                                                                            

Argentina is a much better team, and they shouldn't allow another shocking result. We think Leo Messi and the lads will be confident, celebrating a win by at least two goals.

Goals Market Prediction

Argentina's seven of the last ten games went over a 2.5 margin, and we might see another efficient match involving this team. Therefore, the crowd should enjoy at least three goals in total. 

Argentina AH -1 @ 1.85

Over 2.5 FT @ 2.15

Correct score 0:3 @ 10.00

[StevieDay1983]

It's set to be a fascinating finish to Group C on Wednesday with all four teams still in with a chance of progressing to the last 16. You'd think Poland would be in prime position in 1st place but they face a tough task against Argentina. A draw will be enough but Lionel Scaloni's side looked a lot better against Mexico last time out so it'll be a hard game. The same could be said for Argentina though. Will Lionel Messi be able to conjure up something special to give his team the win they need to qualify. That said, a draw would be enough if Saudi Arabia and Mexico also draw. A draw for Argentina would also be enough if Mexico only win by 2 goals or less. It's too tough to call. If I was pushed I think Argentina could sneak a win against Poland and I feel Mexico can get a win against a frantic Saudi Arabia if they remain disciplined. I would love it if Saudi Arabia upset the odds and qualified but it was clear in their display against Poland that they were physically drained from the Argentina game and they had maybe been sussed out by Czesław Michniewicz's men. Mexico will learn from that.

Poland vs Argentina (Wednesday, 7pm GMT)

Draw HT/ Argentina FT @ 3/1 with Unibet

First Goalscorer: Lionel Messi @ 3/1 with Betfair

Saudi Arabia vs Mexico (Wednesday, 7pm GMT)

Mexico to Win to Nil @ 2/1 with Unibet

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ Evens with VBet

[DrO]

Leo Messi to score and Argentina to win @2.80 local bookie Mozzartbet