World Cup Spotlight: Group C

Any group with Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo will be exciting, and Group C should be no different. However, it won’t be Messi and Argentina that makes this group exciting, as things should be relatively straightforward for Argentina in Group C. Instead, the battle for second place is where things will heat up.

Argentina

At the time of this article's publishing, Argentina is on a 32-match unbeaten streak going back to 2019. During this unbeaten streak, they have lifted multiple trophies and beaten world-class teams. This streak, coupled with a great squad and the best player in the world, has positioned them as one of the favorites. In past World Cups, there have been questions about Argentina's defense, and while this year's team doesn’t have the best defense in the world, it is good enough, thanks to the quality Argentina has going forward.

With quality defenders such as Romero and Tagliafico and a goalkeeper in Emi Martinez, who has been phenomenal for Argentina, their defense is no longer a liability. Another key factor in why Argentina is a World Cup favorite is how much the team wants to win for Messi. They know what this trophy will do for his legacy, and you can see it in how Argentina plays. If Argentina can defend well and limit mistakes, this could be Messi’s year.

Mexico/Poland

In Group C, the battle for second place is between Mexico and Poland. Both teams have similar quality and experience, so it will be interesting to see who goes through to the knockout stage. If Mexico wants to join Argentina in the Round of 16, they will need to beat Poland in their group stage matchup or vice versa for Poland. Both teams should handily beat Saudi Arabia, and it will be hard for either to beat Argentina, so it will come down to their head-to-head matchup to see who advances.

Looking first at Mexico, they have the more talented squad when it comes to technical ability, and they will need to utilize that. Mexico’s wingers, specifically Lainez (who needs to be in the squad if Mexico wants to do well), will need to be aggressive against Poland’s fullbacks and get to the end line to provide service for Raul Jimenez. They will also need to stop Poland’s talisman, Lewandowski, which will not be easy. For Poland to be successful, it is simple. If Lewandowski plays well, the team will play well. And if Lewandowski can find space in and around Mexico’s 18-yard box, it will be a long day for Mexico.

Saudi Arabia

Unfortunately for Saudi Arabia, they do not have much chance of progressing to the knockout stage. Their squad lacks the same quality as the rest of the group. In addition, this will be only the sixth time they have qualified and only progressed out of the Group Stage once. This came in 1994, their first World Cup appearance when they were eliminated in the Round of 16. The only thing I see Saudi Arabia doing in this group is potentially playing spoiler to either Poland or Mexico.