Henry Hardwicke
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The 2022 soccer World Cup gets underway on Sunday, November 20, and Group C pr0mises to be an interesting one as Mexico looks to secure an 8th-straight knockout appearance, but in their way are Argentina, Poland and Saudi Arabia. Argentina is one of the favorites to win the entire World Cup, but can Mexico cause them some trouble? Our soccer expert is breaking down each team and giving their best bet for Group C.
See our full USA 2022 World Cup soccer predictions and analysis for how the USMNT will perform
Argentina 2022 World Cup Group C prediction
The 2-time world champions enter their 18th World Cup finals on the back of a national record 35-match unbeaten run, somewhat justifying their place amongst the pre-tournament favorites.
Lionel Messi’s 7-goal haul during qualifying accounted for over a quarter of Argentina’s 27 goals during their unbeaten road to the finals. That’s not to mention his 11 goal contributions in 19 prior tournament appearances, which includes scoring in 4 of his last 6 group games, 4 of which contributed to Argentina’s memorable run to the 2014 final.
Mexico 2022 World Cup Group C prediction
Mexico’s supporters must wait until they co-host the 2026 edition to don their Lucha Libre masks due to the Qatari ban on the iconic accessory. Even so, they often find something to cheer about with Mexico making it to the round of 16 in each of their last 7 World Cup tournament appearances.
Just 3 points separated the top-4 nations in Mexico’s qualifying group, yet there is a sense of nervous optimism around their chances this time around. Injury-hit striker Raul Jimenez will hopefully be fully fit, but either way, Hirving Lozano could be one to watch as he looks to build on his 2 goal contributions at Russia 2018.
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Poland 2022 World Cup Group C prediction
Poland achieved their 9th appearance at World Cup tournaments after defeating 2018 quarter-finalists Sweden 2-0 in their playoff final. However, they’ve since failed to win 4 of their last 6 games against top-20 ranked nations, suggesting Poland may struggle to match their best World Cup finishes — a pair of bronze medals in ‘82 and ‘74.
Even with one of the greatest strikers in a generation in their ranks in Robert Lewandowski, Poland hasn’t made it beyond a World Cup group stage since Mexico ‘86.
Lewandowski, Poland’s all-time top goalscorer, has 30 goals from his 37 World Cup qualifiers, has been red-hot for Barcelona this season but is still seeking his first World Cup goal.
Don’t miss our Mexico World Cup Soccer 2022 preview, including a best bet
Saudi Arabia 2022 World Cup Group C prediction
Saudi Arabia will feel right at home in this World Cup with the short trip to neighboring Qatar possibly giving them some sort of advantage. Not exactly a team full of household names, the entire Saudi roster is made up of players who compete in the Saudi Professional League.
The Green Falcons impressively sat above World Cup regulars Japan after their 2nd and 3rd-phase qualifiers. However, they failed to score in 4 straight games against COMBELO and CONCACAF nations during their September schedule, perhaps indicating that reaching their first knockout stage since USA ‘94 will be a bridge too far.
2022 Soccer World Cup Group C Best Bet: Argentina & Mexico to qualify (+170)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Argentina has Italy’s world record 37-game unbeaten streak set firmly in their sights and La Albiceleste should finish on top as the odds suggest. With such similar levels of quality throughout, choosing between Mexico and Poland to qualify is a tough call.
However, El Tri could take to the warm winter climate and can seal an 8th straight knockout phase appearance, with Saudi Arabia set to finish last.
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2022 World Cup Group C finishing order prediction
1 Argentina
2 Mexico
3 Poland
4 Saudi Arabia
2022 World Cup group predictions
Don’t miss our picks and predictions for EVERY 2022 soccer World Cup group:
- 2022 World Cup Group A picks
- 2022 World Cup Group B picks
- 2022 World Cup Group D picks
- 2022 World Cup Group E picks
- 2022 World Cup Group F picks
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