Argentina had set out on a 36-game unbeaten run since losing to Brazil in the 2019 Copa America, and as reigning South American champions, arrived among most pundits’ favorites for at least the final four of the World Cup.
Argentina seemed to be in control of affairs at halftime against Saudi Arabia, having seen three other ‘goals’ ruled out for offside. Two Saudi Arabian strikes shortly after the interval turned the game on its head, emphatically ending Argentina’s national record.
The Mexicans have been eliminated at the last 16 stages in each of their last seven World Cup appearances, and ex-Argentina coach Martino is the man tasked with breaking that trend by defying expectations and reaching the quarter-finals.
OCHOA BLOCKS LEWANDOWSKI’S PENALTY FOR MEXICO 😱🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/j9qO1Sodyt
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 22, 2022
A 0-0 draw against Poland with goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa saving a penalty from Robert Lewandowski. Setting Mexico’s tournament off to a relatively steady start on Tuesday and Tata Martino’s men were grateful for a single-point haul in the end.
How to watch Argentina vs. Mexico in the US?
Argentina and Mexico will face off in this Qatar 2022 World Cup group stage match on Saturday, November 26 and the game will be broadcast in the United States on FuboTV and Peacock.
FOX Network, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, UFORIA App, SiriusXM FC, Foxsports.com, Sling, FOX Sports App, and Tubi are other options or catch the match highlights uploaded by FIFA on their official YouTube channel.
What time will Argentina vs. Mexico start?
Argentina and Mexico will be gunning for their first victories this World Cup campaign when they step foot on the newly built Lusail Stadium, with a capacity of 86,000, which was the site of Argentina’s loss to Saudi Arabia.
Date: November 26th, 2022
Time: 2:00 p.m Eastern Time (ET), 11 a.m Pacific Time
Location of the match: Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail, Qatar
Argentina vs Mexico: FIFA World Cup Prediction
While their reputations did take a hit, Argentina appeared to emerge from the humiliating loss to Saudi Arabia with no new injury concerns. Scaloni ignored several attacking options including Paulo Dybala on Tuesday, instead going with Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria, and Lionel Messi for the full 90 minutes.
Lionel Messi will play and start on Saturday for Argentina vs. Mexico. He did some kinesiology work for discomfort in his soleus he had even before the game vs. Saudi Arabia. Via @gastonedul. 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/CJAbpUkmbn
— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) November 24, 2022
Martino chose Henry Martin over Raul Jimenez for the game against Poland, bringing in the Wolverhampton Wanderers striker for the final 20 minutes. Jimenez, who has been working his way back to fitness after an injury-plagued start to the season, could make his first competitive start since August.
After defeating El Tri in the first World Cup in 1930, Argentina recently eliminated their Latin rivals twice in the last 16, and they are also undefeated in the countries’ last ten meetings dating back to 2004.
Scaloni’s team may have lost their unbeaten streak, but the Albiceleste have never lost consecutive matches. In fact, after his first defeat as a coach, Scaloni’s men defeated Mexico in their next game.
If Mexico can keep things tight early on, Argentina is likely to become increasingly desperate, at which point they will be most vulnerable. Expect a solid start to this game, which neither team can afford to lose, and opposing a high-scoring encounter appears to be the obvious choice.
Argentina was last defeated in their first World Cup match in 1990 when Maradona went on to lead his team to the final. Faced with both the expectations of a football-mad nation and a transitional Mexico team, Messi’s Albiceleste can now earn a crucial first victory of the 2022 edition – but it will not be an easy task.