Tomás Yelmini
The big date for soccer fans is approaching: the World Cup will start on Sunday, November 20, and the teams involved are already fine-tuning the last details to arrive at the competition in the best possible way. Let’s not forget that this 2022 World Cup will be played at an unusual time of the year (it’s usually played in June) and finds the players halfway through the season at their clubs.
Here, at JefeBet, we present you today with the teams that make up this group, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland, as well as Group C predictions, odds and information on what we believe might happen.
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Odds provided by DraftKings.
Group C Predictions, Odds, and Betting Preview for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar
In this group, we’ll have to watch how far Argentina’s amazing moment carries them, as they are also a worldwide powerhouse with two cups won over the years.
Poland, captained by Robert Lewandowski, is a significant question mark in terms of how it will react in this tournament, while Mexico isn’t looking good right now and its coach is under fire. Finally, Saudi Arabia – clearly the weakest of the group – will try to be a complication for the rest and prove that the elimination was not a fluke.
Argentina
- FIFA Ranking Position: 3
- How did they get to the World Cup?: 2nd overall position [CONMEBOL Qualifiers]
- Previous World Cup participations: 17
- Odds to win the group: -250
- Odds to qualify for the round of 16: -1600
Argentina, led by Lionel Scaloni, not only won the Copa América after 28 years, but also went a record 35 games without losing. Without a question, the “Albiceleste” national team is in terrific form and aims to give Lionel Messi the trophy he is lacking in his stellar career in what may be his final World Cup.
They recently received disappointing news: Giovani Lo Celso, the talented midfielder, won’t be able to join the team for this World Cup due to injury. Still, the Argentine team has more than enough players to make up for it and make their dream come true.
Saudi Arabia
- FIFA Ranking Position: 51
- How did they get to the World Cup?: 1st place in Group B [AFC Qualifiers]
- Previous World Cup participations: 5
- Odds to win the group: +2200
- Odds to qualify for the round of 16: +600
The 1994 World Cup in the United States was the first in which Saudi Arabia competed, and it made history by reaching the round of 16 and scoring one of the most beautiful goals in World Cup history through Saeed Ali Al-Owairan.
They also competed in the next three World Cups, but did not advance past the group stage or win any matches. In Russia, they returned to the big event and, although they won a game, they again failed to reach the finals.
Now, they will arrive in Qatar under French coach Hervé Renard, after a great qualifying campaign in which they finished first after winning 7 of their 10 matches and finishing ahead of teams such as Japan and Australia.
Mexico
- FIFA Ranking Position: 13
- How did they get to the World Cup?: 2nd overall place [CONCACAF Qualifiers]
- Previous World Cup participations: 16
- Odds to win the group: +450
- Odds to qualify for the round of 16: -120
Despite having lots of experience in World Cups, Mexico has never been able to get beyond the quarterfinals, a stage it curiously reached in the two competitions they hosted, in 1970 and 1986.
Although they qualified without many difficulties, they are undergoing difficult times, and their coach, the Argentine Gerardo Martino, is being opposed by the Mexican public and press. They lost two of their past three friendlies (against Paraguay and Colombia) and very narrowly overcame Peru.
It remains to be seen whether this environment will pose challenges for a team that has outstanding players such as Andrés Guardado (Betis), Hirving Lozano (Napoli), Jorge Sánchez (Ajax), Ral Jiménez (Wolverhampton), and Diego Lainez (Sporting Braga). The most notable absentee is Sevilla’s Jesús Tecatito Corona, who is injured.
Poland
- FIFA Ranking Position: 26
- How did they get to the World Cup?: They qualified in the playoffs. [UEFA Qualifiers]
- Previous World Cup participations: 8
- Odds to win the group: +400
- Odds to qualify for the round of 16: -110
Poland was a dominant team that played excellent soccer throughout the 1970s and early 1980s (they were third in Germany 1974 and Spain 1982). However, their glow eventually started to fade.
Poland, led by Robert Lewandowski, is now seeking to make a comeback, despite the fact that more was expected of them in 2018 – with the striker at full strength – and they failed to get past the first round. This will be the ninth time they have played in a World Cup, which they reached not without some setbacks: they finished second in Group I of the European qualifiers, behind England, and finally qualified after beating Sweden in the play-offs.
JefeBet Prediction
Argentina has everything they need to win the group from start to finish, but it will be up to them to overcome the tactics used by their opponents to keep Messi and company at bay.
As for the other teams, it’s impossible to tell who can overcome the others. Perhaps Poland’s discipline and order will outweigh Mexico’s instability and Saudi Arabia.
Our Group C predictions at JefeBet see the Argentines winning the group and the Poles finishing second in the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Group winner: Argentina
Runner-up: Poland
