Argentina take on the visitors Mexico in the round 2 match of group stage of FIFA World Cup 2022. The match will be played on Saturday, November 26th at Lusail Iconic Stadium (Lusail).
Argentina in the current generation can be considered the losers of the world championships. Messi and the company suffered various misfires, and it is not known what is more painful, to lose in the final in Brazil-2014, or to suffer in the group after 4 years in Russia, in order to then lose in 1/8? But under Lionel Scaloni, everything seemed to start to improve. Finally, the curse of lost decisive matches was lifted: the Argentines won last year's Copa America, and in the final they coped with Brazil on their field. Then there was a confident qilification to the World Cup. Leo and the company went to Qatar in the status of the 1st of the favorites. And they considered the 1st round, with Saudi Arabia in it, as a kind of warm-up. Especially since at first everything worked out. Messi converted a penalty, 3 more goals of the favorite were canceled due to offside. But the “greens” did not accept the role of the victim. Their 2 goals in 5 minutes at the beginning of the 2nd half knocked out Albi Celestes. They never woke up until the final whistle properly.
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Mexico this time play under the mentorship of the Argentine, Gerardo Martino. In 2014-2016, he worked with the national team of his country, and it was with Tata that they lost the Copa America finals twice in a row. Moreover, before that, at the suggestion of Messi, according to rumors, the Latin American specialist headed Barcelona, and also not very successfully: he took only the Spanish Super Cup with them. In Mexico, he started off great, winning the 2019 Gold Cup. But then there were defeats in the finals, and the same tournament, and the local League of Nations. Perhaps this is his last tournament in such a position, unless, of course, he managed to overcome the long-standing curse of the Mexicans. For them, the round of 1/8-finals has become a stumbling block since the 90s of the last century. However, first they need to get into the playoffs. In the 1st round, with Poland, there seemed to be a rather noticeable advantage - both in possession and in chances. But it’s not for nothing that Ochoa became the best player again. He saved Lewandowski kick from the penalty spot. However, Szczesny also had a few saves, but in general 0-0 is a completely natural result of that meeting.
Mexico only won 1 out of 16 head-to-head matches, which happened at the 2004 Copa America in the group when both sides advanced. Moreover, Argentina has 6 wins and a draw in 7 recent duels. Argentina will be the favorite of the pair - but do not forget that Saudi Arabia had small odds to win. Messi and company will be nervous and fussy, and their opponent will be able to pragmatically play the score. We bet on the victory of Mexico with a handicap of “+1 goal”.
Prediction for the match: Mexico to win with +1.0 handicap.
