One of the pre-tournament favorites Argentina begins its campaign against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Since losing to Brazil in the 2019 Copa America semifinals, Lionel Scaloni’s team remains unbeaten in competitive games. Argentina, who won the South American championship in 2021, enters the competition without the usual sense of anxiety that has surrounded their recent World Cup campaigns. Saudi Arabia does not have quite the same illustrious reputation. The second-lowest-ranked country at the World Cup is the Green Falcons (51st). Everything you need to know about this matchup between two teams of drastically different caliber is provided below.
Argentina team news
Scaloni’s main concern is Tottenham’s, Cristian Romero. The aggressive center-back missed the previous four weeks of Premier League action and was not a reserve for Wednesday’s final pre-World Cup friendly between Argentina and the UAE. After missing eight games for Roma due to a hamstring injury, Paulo Dybala was unexpectedly added for the Giallorossi’s penultimate match before the holiday break.
Saudi Arabia team news
The availability of Salem Al-Dawsari, the top forward for Saudi Arabia, was a possible concern for Herve Renard going into the competition. The “Tornado,” however, is healthy enough to play in the Kingdom’s final pre-World Cup friendly against Croatia after undergoing appendix surgery.
Argentina vs Saudi Arabia score prediction
Before the World Cup, Renard acknowledged that “you have to rely on shock results when you are one of the smaller teams in the tournament.” To say that a Saudi Arabia victory over this Argentina team would be one of the competition’s biggest surprises barely veers into hyperbole. The team, known as La Scaloneta, is one game away from matching Italy’s record for the longest unbeaten streak in international football, which spans 37 games. Unless Renard’s Green Falcons pull off a historic upset on Tuesday morning, Argentina should continue their winning streak.
Prediction: Argentina 3-0 Saudi Arabia
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