Is World Cup 2022 Messi’s Destiny?

Argentina vs Saudi Arabia

Based on what I’ve read over the last 12 hours or so, half of the media in the western world seems to be pining for a romantic coronation of the great Lionel Messi’s career at this World Cup 2022.

For a generation believes that, should he captain his nation to victory in Qatar, the age-old debate about who is the greatest (him or Cristiano Ronaldo) will be decided.

For on the international stage, while Messi last year finally broke his international duck and guided La Albiceleste to the Copa America, it still is secondary in terms of achievement to the way Ronaldo inspired Portugal to Euro 2016 victory.

So, can Messi now skipper Argentina to the trophy his country covets the most?

Talking Points

Well, an opener against Saudi Arabia certainly provides an opportunity for some early World Cup highlights.

Indeed, the SBOTOP World Cup betting odds expect them to emerge victorious with a bit to spare against a nation they’ve never been beaten by.

The South American giants come into the tournament on the back of a 36-match unbeaten streak following a midweek 5-0 friendly win over the United Arab Emirates.

A superb first-half performance saw Lionel Scaloni’s men 4-0 up by the interval, thanks to an Angel Di María double and goals from Julian Alvarez and Messi, added to in the second half by a Joaquín Correa strike.

Argentina’s last defeat came at the hands of arch-rivals Brazil in the semi-finals of the 2019 Copa América. Since then, they have recorded 25 victories and 11 draws in a combination of friendly matches, World Cup 2022 qualifying and the 2021 Copa America.

On top of that, Scaloni’s men beat European champions Italy to win the inaugural edition of La Finalissima, the rebranded CONEMBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions.

Taking of the Azzurri, Italy are the current record holders in international football after going unbeaten for three years between October 2018 and October 2021, a run of 37 games.

That means a win (or draw) against the Saudis on Tuesday will allow Argentina to equal that record, which means the clash with Mexico on Saturday, November 26, is the one that could make history.

But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

Some 11^th hour changes to the squad have been requested after Scaloni was dealt a double injury blow with forwards Nicolas Gonzalez and Correa ruled out of the tournament.

He has lodged a request to add namesake, Atletico Madrid forward Angel Correa, and winger Thiago Almada of Atlanta United to his squad in place of the two injured forwards.

Saudi Arabia go into this tournament with few giving them a chance, although their head coach, Herve Renard, has real pedigree.

The first coach to win two Africa Cup of Nations titles, Saudi supporters will be counting on his tactical nous and previous World Cup experience to emulate the feat of 1994 and go beyond the group stage for only the second time in their history.

It’s a hell of a task in a tough group which also comprises Mexico and Robert Lewandowski-led Poland.

By the way, if you don’t recall that 94 campaign, ask your dad about that Saeed Al-Owairan goal – I watched it live and still remember it!

So, back to the initial question – can Argentina win the big one with Messi? We’ll find out over the next month but certainly they should be able to win against Saudi Arabia.

History

These two nations met for the first time in 1988 when they clashed twice in 10 days in the bicentenary Gold Cup.

A 2-2 draw in Adelaide was followed by a 2-0 Argentina win in a third-place play-off when current Atletico boss Diego Simeone opened the scoring.

Four years later the nations met in Riyadh in the final of the Intercontinental Champions Cup, a competition that subsequently became known as the FIFA Confederations Cup.

Leonardo Rodriguez, Claudio Caniggia and Simeone scored in a 3-1 win before Al-Owairan pulled one back.

They didn’t meet again for another 20 years when a goalless draw was played out in the same stadium in an international friendly.

That was in November 2012 – exactly a decade ago.

Betting Tip

Backing Argentina in this one isn’t going to earn you a fortune.

They are available to tip 1X2 @ 1.17 and Asian Handicap -2.25 @ 2.25 and -2.50 @ 2.61, a far cry from Saudi Arabia 1X2 @ 14.50 and Asian Handicap +1.75 @ 2.21.

A goalless draw, just like 10 years ago, will pay out with Correct Score @ 14.50.

I cannot see past Argentina and my *** tip is First Half Asian Handicap Argentina -1.00 @ 2.42.

 

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