Argentina vs Saudi Arabia, Worldcup 2022 GROUP STAGE
Overview
Match Preview
Argentina vs Saudi Arabia — Worldcup at Lusail Iconic Stadium.
- Argentina 3 games · 9 pts (2026/26)
- Saudi Arabia 3 games · 2 pts (2026/26)
Match Details
- Referee Bastian Dankert
- Referee Slavko Vincic
- Referee Tomaz Klancnik
- Referee Andraz Kovacic
- Referee Pol van Boekel
- Referee Maguette N'Diaye (Senegal)
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico | 3 | 9 |
| 2 | South Africa | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | South Korea | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | Czechia | 3 | 1 |
| 5 | Switzerland | 3 | 7 |
| 6 | Canada | 3 | 4 |
| 7 | Bosnia-Herzegovina | 3 | 4 |
| 8 | Qatar | 3 | 1 |
| 9 | Brazil | 3 | 7 |
| 10 | Morocco | 3 | 7 |
| 11 | Scotland | 3 | 3 |
| 12 | Haiti | 3 | 0 |
| 13 | United States | 3 | 6 |
| 14 | Australia | 3 | 4 |
| 15 | Paraguay | 3 | 4 |
| 16 | Turkey | 3 | 3 |
| 17 | Germany | 3 | 6 |
| 18 | Ivory Coast | 3 | 6 |
| 19 | Ecuador | 3 | 4 |
| 20 | Curacao | 3 | 1 |
| 21 | Netherlands | 3 | 7 |
| 22 | Japan | 3 | 5 |
| 23 | Sweden | 3 | 4 |
| 24 | Tunisia | 3 | 0 |
| 25 | Belgium | 3 | 5 |
| 26 | Egypt | 3 | 5 |
| 27 | Iran | 3 | 3 |
| 28 | New Zealand | 3 | 1 |
| 29 | Spain | 3 | 7 |
| 30 | Cape Verde Islands | 3 | 3 |
| 31 | Uruguay | 3 | 2 |
| 32 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 2 |
| 33 | France | 3 | 9 |
| 34 | Norway | 3 | 6 |
| 35 | Senegal | 3 | 3 |
| 36 | Iraq | 3 | 0 |
| 37 | Argentina | 3 | 9 |
| 38 | Austria | 3 | 4 |
| 39 | Algeria | 3 | 4 |
| 40 | Jordan | 3 | 0 |
| 41 | Colombia | 3 | 7 |
| 42 | Portugal | 3 | 5 |
| 43 | Congo DR | 3 | 4 |
| 44 | Uzbekistan | 3 | 0 |
| 45 | England | 3 | 7 |
| 46 | Croatia | 3 | 6 |
| 47 | Ghana | 3 | 4 |
| 48 | Panama | 3 | 0 |
Head-to-Head
Last 5 meetings
Recent Form
Season Stats
| Argentina | Saudi Arabia | |
|---|---|---|
| #37 | Position | #32 |
| 9 | Points | 2 |
| 3 | Played | 3 |
| 3 / 0 / 0 | W / D / L | 0 / 2 / 1 |
| 8 | Scored | 1 |
| 1 | Conceded | 5 |
| +7 | GD | -4 |
| 3.00 | PPG | 0.67 |
| 100% | Win % | 0% |
Key Stats
100%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (1 games)
H2H (1 games)
100%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
25%
Clean Sheets
Argentina this season
Argentina this season
33%
Clean Sheets
Saudi Arabia this season
Saudi Arabia this season
Argentina are 37th (9 pts). Saudi Arabia are 32nd (2 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Argentina
0-15
1/1
16-30
3/–
31-45
2/–
46-60
1/3
61-75
–/2
76+
12/2
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Saudi Arabia
0-15
–/1
16-30
–/2
31-45
1/–
46-60
–/–
61-75
–/–
76+
–/1
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
Argentina
| Lionel Messi | 8 G | 4 A |
| Lautaro Martinez | 3 G | 1 A |
Events
Match Events
- 0' We are underway at Lusail Iconic Stadium. The crowd does wile while the referee lows the starting whistle.
- 5' A quiet spell here at Lusail Iconic Stadium. Saudi Arabia seem content sitting deep and soaking up pressure.
- 10' Goal! Lionel Messi scores his 247 goal in 521 matches.
- 15' While players are taking a pause, let’s have a look at their stats. The teams met 0 times this season with winning -% of all matches.
- 20' Salem Al-Dawsari, a Saudi Arabia , has 0 bookings this season and will need to keep his discipline tonight.
- 25' Supporters expect more eagerness from Mohammed Al Burayk, as he is very good at scoring at Lusail Iconic Stadium with 0 goals in the last 0 games.
- 28' A stunning finish from Lautaro Martinez — that came from absolutely nowhere!
- 33' has dominated the recent head-to-head record, winning 0 of the last 0 meetings.
- 38' The referee is likely to let players tackle, as he already missed some meaty challenges during opening seconds. He is still to establish what should not be done by the players and what is acceptable on the pitch. It’s going to be a tough game for Saud Abdulhamid suffering a number of foals already.
- 43' Over 43 minutes have gone by without a meaningful attack. The supporters want more.
- 45' Another substitution for Saudi Arabia to replace Salman Al-Faraj by Nawaf Al-Abid on 45 minute.
- 49' Saleh Al-Shehri does the damage! The net is bulging and Saudi Arabia surge ahead!
- 53' Salem Al-Dawsari does the damage! The net is bulging and Saudi Arabia surge ahead!
- 54' Against the run of play, Salem Al-Dawsari has scored! This game has turned on its head.
- 59' Lisandro Martinez gets the nod from Argentina. He replaces Christian Romero and will look to change the dynamic.
- 60' Julian Alvarez has so much to prove this time. He replaces Alejandro Gomez on 60 minute.
- 65' Christian Romero is a natural and has been asked to do a very specific job for Argentina tonight.
- 67' Abdulelah Al Malki catches the referee's attention in entirely the wrong way. Yellow card on 67.
- 71' A tactical swap from Argentina — Marcos Acuna on, Nicolas Tagliafico off on 71 minutes.
- 75' Saudi Arabia receives a Yellow card for a hard tackle on 75.
- 78' A change in the Saudi Arabia ranks — Saleh Al-Shehri exits the field as Sultan Al Ghanam enters on 78.
- 80' A moment of madness from Salem Al-Dawsari on 80 minutes earns him a Yellow card. Saudi Arabia will be frustrated.
- 82' The referee has no hesitation. Saud Abdulhamid is booked for Saudi Arabia — Yellow card on 82.
- 87' With 8 assists to his name this season, Rodrigo de Paul is clearly more than just a goal scorer for Argentina.
- 88' It’s gonna be a Yellow card for Nawaf Al-Abid.
- 89' The Saudi Arabia bench stirs into life. Nawaf Al-Abid is withdrawn and Abdulelah Al Amri gets his opportunity.
- 90' Fresh legs for Saudi Arabia! Mohammed Al Burayk comes on to replace Yasir Al Shahrani.
- 90' The referee shows Saudi Arabia player a Yellow card on 90.
- 1-2 the final result. Argentina will be bitterly disappointed.
Lineups
Argentina Lineups
Starting XI
- 23
- 19
- 3
- 11
- 10
- 17
- 22
- 7
- 5
- 13
- 26
Bench
- 2
- 12
- 15
- 21
- 6
-
8
Marcos Acuna ↑ 71'
- 1
- 14
- 4
- 20
-
25
Lisandro Martinez ↑ 59'
- 16
-
9
Julian Alvarez ↑ 59'
-
24
Enzo Fernandez ↑ 59'
- 18
Coach
Lionel Scaloni
Saudi Arabia Lineups
Starting XI
- 21
- 12
- 5
- 13
-
7
Salman Al-Faraj ↓ Nawaf Al-Abid 45'
- 8
- 23
- 10
- 11
- 9
- 17
Bench
- 1
- 3
- 4
-
6
Mohammed Al Burayk ↑ 90'
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 20
- 24
- 26
-
25
Haitham Asiri ↑ 89'
- 19
-
18
Nawaf Al-Abid ↑ 45'
-
2
Sultan Al Ghanam ↑ 78'
- 22
Coach
Hervé Renard
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Salem Al-Dawsari | 2 |
| Saleh Al-Shehri | 1 |
| Lionel Messi | 1 |
| Lautaro Martinez | 1 |
Head to Head
Argentina Form
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
3 / 4
2.54
Argentina xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
0.81
Saudi Arabia xG
I would bet for:
Over 2.5 goals 64% + Argentina to win 63%
Match Result
✗ WrongActual: Saudi Arabia win
Both Teams to Score
✓ Correct
Avg goals/match: 3.35
Actual: Yes — both scored
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 95% |
|
5% |
| ± 1.5 | 84% |
|
16% |
| ± 2.5 | 64% |
|
36% |
| ± 3.5 | 42% |
|
58% |
| ± 4.5 | 25% |
|
75% |
Double Chance
Argentina or Draw
84%
Draw or Saudi Arabia
37%
Argentina or Saudi Arabia
79%
Half-Time Result
✓ CorrectActual: Argentina win at HT
Correct Score
✗ 1–2 not predicted1 – 2Actual
2 – 0
11.3%
3 – 0
9.3%
2 – 1
8.9%
1 – 0
8.7%
1 – 1
7.9%
3 – 1
7.5%
4 – 0
5.8%
0 – 0
4.9%
4 – 1
4.8%
2 – 2
3.6%
3 – 2
3.1%
5 – 0
3%
Asian Handicap — Argentina
| Handicap | Argentina covers | Push | Saudi Arabia covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 31% | — | 69% |
| -2 | 31% | 21% | 48% |
| -1.5 | 52% | — | 48% |
| -1 | 52% | 21% | 27% |
| -0.5 | 73% | — | 27% |
| +0.5 | 91% | — | 9% |
| +1 | 91% | 6% | 3% |
| +1.5 | 97% | — | 3% |
| +2 | 97% | 2% | 1% |
| +2.5 | 99% | — | 1% |
Clean Sheet
Argentina keeps clean sheet
45%
✓
Saudi Arabia keeps clean sheet
9%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.