After a terrifying scare in the opening match, Lionel Messi revived their World Cup chances last time out, and now must finish the job against Poland to escape from Group C and begin a knockout stage journey that many expect to end at or near the final.
The match against Mexico was ugly at times, but Lionel Messi found the breakthrough late and assisted their second to secure three points. Now, the Albaceleste must emerge victorious to ensure a place in the knockout stage.
Argentina can advance with only a draw should Mexico defeat Saudi Arabia by no more than three goals, but that should not be relied on and Lionel Scaloni's gang will hope to leave no doubts. A win would be advantageous anyways, as it would mean they win the group so long as Saudi Arabia do not better their result by two more goals.
For Poland, the path will be tough, but Saudi Arabia provided a blueprint of how this Argentina side can be upset, and Robert Lewandowski now has the World Cup goal monkey off his back. Poland would advance automatically with a win or a draw, so they could play this one extremely cautiously.
MORE: Follow all 2022 FIFA World Cup daily picks & predictions from The Sporting News here
Argentina vs. Poland odds
Argentina need to win, and with Lionel Messi at their back, the Albaceleste are massive favorites to get the job done and seal a victory.
The biggest knock on Poland seems to be their inability to score goals, with the both teams to score category swung wildly towards the "no" choice, but the goals total at nearly dead even.
Odds via BetMGM (USA), Sports Interaction (Canada), SkyBet (UK), and Ladbrokes (Australia).
| BetMGM | Sports Interaction | SkyBet | Ladbrokes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poland win | +675 | 7.23 | 13/2 | 7/1 |
| Draw | +340 | 4.15 | 16/5 | 3/1 |
| Argentina win | -225 | 1.43 | 2/5 | 4/9 |
| Both teams to score Y / N | +120 / -175 | 2.17 / 1.54 | 6/5, 8/13 | 5/4, 3/5 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals | -110 / -130 | 2.02 / 1.74 | 1/1, 8/11 | 21/20, 7/10 |
| Argentina -1.5 | +120 | 2.32 | — | — |
| Poland +1.5 | -175 | 1.59 | — | — |
Argentina vs. Poland: 3 things to know
Argentina vs. Poland team news
Argentina is missing a number of players from their tournament roster as Giovanni Lo Celso, Nico Gonzalez, and Joaquin Correa were all stricken from the squad before the competition began. They have remained relatively healthy through the group stage, however, with nothing new to report.
The same can be said for Poland, with Krystian Bielik playing through a "minor injury" and Bartek Bereszynski fit enough to start against Saudi Arabia. Goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski and midfielder Jakub Moder were both sidelined before the tournament and not selected to be part of the squad.
MORE: Full injury tracker for all 32 teams at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Argentina vs. Poland key stats
- These two sides have faced three times previous, with two coming at the World Cup. Poland won the first matchup in 1974 by a 3-2 score, but Argentina won the follow-up 2-0 four years later en route to winning the title. Mario Kempes scored both goals in that victory, helping him win that tournament's Golden Boot.
- Poland have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three World Cup games, including both here in the 2022 tournament. Prior to that streak, Poland had gone 10 straight World Cup matches without a clean sheet.
- Lionel Messi has scored in six straight international appearances for Argentina, equaling his career record for the national team set way back in 2011-2012. He has never scored in seven consecutive international matches.
Argentina vs. Poland match facts
- Date: Wednesday, November 30
- Kickoff Time: 2:00 pm ET / 7:00 pm GMT / 6:00 am AEDT (Thu, Dec. 1)
- Location: Ras Abu Aboud Stadium
- Official: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
Argentina vs. Poland prediction
- Moneyline lean: Argentina (-225)
- Against the spread lean: Argentina -1.5 (+120)
- Score prediction: Argentina 2-0 Poland
It may take them a while, but Argentina should get by Poland. This Poland side put up 1.56 xG against Saudi Arabia, and were actually beaten on the expected goals tally by Saudi Arabia's 1.73 xG, only keeping a clean sheet thanks to some heroic goalkeeping by Wojciech Szczesny and a few bad misses. Szczesny could be an X-factor in this match, but he'll need to bring his best to keep out Lionel Messi and Argentina.
MORE: How to watch Argentina vs. Poland in World Cup Group C play
Argentina vs. Poland: best bet
- Pick: Under 2.5 goals
- Odds: -130 (BetMGM)
Argentina don't run up the score, and Poland simply can't score, so this is the perfect opportunity for Argentina to get by with yet another narrow clean sheet win. And if Poland are to spark an upset, it's going to be because they snatched a goal and held on to frustrate Argentina like Mexico tried to do.
Argentina vs. Poland prop bet
- Pick: Half with most goals — 2H
- Odds: +100 (BetMGM)
It's a wonder to me that this bet still has plus, or even money, odds at this World Cup. Countless games have been scoreless at the break, enough to where TV broadcasters are beginning to mention the running tally each time the halftime whistle blows without a goal scored. With Poland expected to bunker down, it may take Argentina quite a while to break them down, just like it did for them to get by Mexico. This feels like easy money.
Argentina vs. Poland live stream, TV channel
MORE: Watch every World Cup match live with fuboTV (U.S.-only free trial)
| Date | Time | TV Channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Wed, Nov. 30 | 14:00 ET | Fox UNIVERSO | fuboTV, Fox Sports site/app, UNIVERSO Now, Peacock |
| Canada | Wed, Nov. 30 | 14:00 ET | TSN , RDS (French) | TSN site/app, RDS app |
| UK | Wed, Nov. 30 | 19:00 GMT | BBC One | BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website |
| Australia | Thu, Dec. 1 | 06:00 AEDT | SBS | SBS On Demand |
| India | Thu, Dec. 1 | 00:30 IST | Sports18 | Voot, JioTV |
| Hong Kong | Thu, Dec. 1 | 03:00 HKT | Now TV (Ch. 616, 618) | Now TV |
| Malaysia | Thu, Dec. 1 | 03:00 MYT | Astro Arena 2 | Astro GO |
| Singapore | Thu, Dec. 1 | 03:00 SGT | StarHub FIFA World Cup, Singtel FIFA World Cup 141 | Singtel TV GO, CAST, StarHub TV+, MeWatch |
| New Zealand | Thu, Dec. 1 | 08:00 NZDT | Sky Sport 7 beIN Sports | Sky Go, Sky Sport NOW |
