Our 2022 FIFA World Cup Futures predictions continue with a breakdown of Group C, a group with three nations that will be equipped for the hot weather in Qatar. Argentina headlines the group, joined by Saudi Arabia and Mexico along with European nation Poland to make up an interesting foursome of nations. In our soccer betting picks from Qatar, we break down a star-studded Group C.
As expected, Argentina are the firm favorites to win the group at -250 odds. Poland – led by star striker Robert Lewandowski – are second favorites to win Group C at +450 odds and are followed closely by Mexico at +500. Saudi Arabia are expected to finish bottom of the group and are +2000 longshots to surpass the nations in front of them and make a miracle run to the top of Group C.
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Amazing Argentina
Argentina heads to Qatar with the usual high expectations for one of the best footballing nations in the world. Oddsmakers have Argentina as third favorites to win the World Cup, listing them behind only Brazil and France at +650 odds to lift the trophy and give Lionel Messi the final prize left for the greatest player of all-time to win.
Argentina was dumped out in the 2018 World Cup in the Round of 16 by eventual winners France and hope their run in Qatar goes much farther than in Russia. Manager Lionel Scaloni took over the national team after that World Cup exit, rejuvenating Messi’s international career and taking the country to unprecedented levels of success for the Messi Era.
Under Scaloni, Argentina finally won their first major international trophy with Messi leading the way. Breaking a streak of 28 years without a title by lifting the 2021 Copa America title. Argentina also enjoyed a 35 match unbeaten run with Scaloni in charge, a stat that shows just how far they have come as a national team since the 2018 World Cup.
With the motivating factor of trying to lift the trophy in Messi’s last World Cup and a much sturdier defensive presence compared to recent tournaments thanks to the likes of Manchester United’s rising star centerback Lisandro Martinez, it could finally be Argentina’s tournament. At the very least, their squad is a firm level or two above their Group C competition and Argentina should brush off Poland and Mexico to finish top at the end of the group stage.
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Can Lewandowski Shine In Qatar?
Poland heads to their second consecutive World Cup hoping their trip to Qatar lasts longer than their stay in Russia in 2018. It was a group stage exit for Poland at the last tournament, who lost to Senegal and Colombia in their first two matches before ending on a positive note with a 1-0 silver lining victory over Japan.
Poland’s star forward Robert Lewandowski famously struggled in Russia, as the former FC Bayern man failed to find the back of the net in their three matches. Now playing for Barcelona in La Liga after moving from Bayern this past summer, Lewandowski heads to Qatar hopeful he can finally have an international performance to match his prolific output at the club level. Lewandowski scored 312 goals in 384 Bundesliga appearances but is still chasing a World Cup goal to round out one of the best goalscoring careers of the past 25 years.
Beyond Lewandowski, Poland will be able to rely on a group of veteran players and familiar faces who will build on the experiences gained during their last World Cup appearance. Jan Bednarek and Kamil Gilk will make up the center back pairing in defense, while Piotr Zielinski will look to take his winning form with current Serie A leaders Napoli into the Polish camp and lead the midfield corps.
Poland’s World Cup opens with their biggest match as they will take on Mexico in a match where a winner would be likely to advance out of the group. If Poland fails to get a result against Mexico, it will come down to needing an upset win over Argentina and/or hoping Mexico slip up against Saudi Arabia to get out of the group. Making the November 22 match against the Mexicans one of the tournament’s early must watch fixtures.
Will El Tri Make It To The Round of 16 (again)?
Mexico enters the World Cup once again with one challenge on their mind: getting to the Round of 16 and conquering their demons in ‘the fourth match’ to finally win in the knockout rounds. ‘El Tri’ are one of the most consistent nations in securing qualification out of the group stages and unfortunately are the worst nation when it comes to finding a way to advance out of the Round of 16.
Mexico advanced out of the group stage in the last seven World Cup tournaments, dating back to the 1994 tournament hosted in the United Stage. Despite that group stage success, Mexico has failed in the first knockout round every single time. Losing to the likes of Argentina (2x), Netherlands, Brazil and even their hated rivals in the Americans.
Drawing difficult opponents in the Round of 16 has led to some of their problems, making winning the group a goal that would greatly increase their chances of ending the curse in Qatar. Winning Group C seems unlikely as Mexico might be lucky to simply scrape their way into second place above Poland as it is more likely Mexico end their qualification streak than overcome their historical bad luck in the knockout rounds.
This current Mexico squad lacks the type of talent that once made them the kings of CONCACAF. Javier Hernandez and Jesus Corona both won’t be making it to Qatar, and the advanced age of some of their key figures combined with growing pains for their younger generation caused issues during World Cup Qualifying. El Tri finished in second place behind Canada, failing to beat Les Rouges at the Estadio Azteca before losing to the Canucks 2-1 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton under some extremely frigid conditions last November.
The weather will be more to the liking of the Mexican team in Qatar, where it is expected to be hot even for late November and early December. That might be the only thing going for them at the tournament, as they aren’t on the same level as a loaded Argentina team and lack the star talent Poland has at their disposal with Lewandowski. I expect Poland to overpower this El Tri squad and for the lengthy streak of group stage qualification to come to an end for a group of players that has failed to impress entering this tournament.
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Saudi Arabia a Deserved Longshot
Saudi Arabia has received a brutal draw for this World Cup, getting put in a group with three high-level opponents. While they did very well in the Asian qualifiers, Saudi Arabia is simply not equipped to compete with some of the best teams in the world. With the entire national team roster playing their club football in Saudi Arabia, the jump in level of competition is going to be way too much for this group to overcome in Qatar.
If you are someone who is brave enough to back the Saudis to win Group C, they are going off at around 22/1. However, that may not be advisable.
