Preview: Argentina VS Australia - Predictions, Team News, Line-up:

From Dreamsforce.com

Event name: FIFA World Cup 2022 Argentina VS Australia Round of 16 Match

Event Date: Saturday 03 December 2022

Event time: 10:00 PM, (Qatar time)

Location: Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, Qatar

After escaping their group in dramatic circumstances, Argentina and its last 16 opponents Australia meet at the Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium three days later on Saturday.

After the Albiceleste's recovery from a shock opening loss to Saudi Arabia and the Socceroos' defeat to France in midweek, both countries' World Cup adventures now continue in the knockout stages.

Overcoming a slow start to their latest World Cup campaign, Argentina secured a place in the last 16 with a hard-fought victory over Mexico in their second Group C match on Wednesday.

The South American champions saw talisman Lionel Messi spurn a controversial first-half penalty to score, but were eventually rewarded for a dominant 90 minutes to leapfrog their European rivals at the top of the group table.

After Alexis McAllister - who was promoted to the starting line-up as one of the few changes made by coach Lionel Scaloni - headed in just seconds before the break, Julian Alvarez's 67th-minute strike helped the Albiceleste win a second. 2-0 win in a row.

The result sees the two-time world champions progress to the knockout stages for the 11th time in their last 12 finals and is among many pundits' favorites to lift the World Cup trophy later this month.

While the situation will be the same for both his side and their other opponents, Scaloni lamented returning to action after more than two days of rest - especially after such an emotionally draining trip to the top of Group C. 

However, he knows the upcoming crowd at home in Argentina will not accept any apology.

To combat fears of fatigue, the Copa America winner's coach has been able to call on many talented players emerging from the fringes of his squad, such as McAllister, Alvarez, and Benfica's Enzo Fernandez, although of course Messi still has plenty of creativity on his shoulders. burden.

Argentina's irreplaceable playmaker is sure to be an integral part again as they look to set up a quarter-final with the Netherlands or the United States, but he will need a lot of help from the supporting cast who made their 36-match unbeaten streak come to an end. week.

Given the footballing gulf between the two countries, it's no surprise that Australia have lost each of their last four matches against Argentina - although the Socceroos won 2-0 when the two different teams met in Tokyo last year. Olympics.

Yet Graham Arnold's men were riding the crest of a wave before arriving at the Al Ryan for a date with destiny as they entered the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time since the 'Golden Generation' of 2006.

The underdog Socceroos defied expectations to finish second in Group D behind defending champions France on goal difference after winning two of their three matches - against Tunisia and then Euro 2022 semi-finalists Denmark.

It took both a ferociously battling rear-guard action from Harry Soutar and goalkeeper Matt Ryan and a superb winner from Matthew Leckie to beat the latter 1-0 at the Al Janoub Stadium, breaking the deadlock after 60 minutes and finally sending them through.

last 16 Realism is never far from a pragmatic Australian side made up largely of players at their European clubs, so for all the excitement that their historic win is about to begin, they will be keenly aware of the move up the class. 

We are looking forward to Saturday.

An already fluent French side who won the opener 4-1, Arnold's well-prepared squad will be outsiders in leading Argentina to reach the last eight for the first time.

If they somehow manage to pull it off, the jubilant scenes of fans celebrating on the streets of Melbourne in the early hours of Thursday morning will surely match - if not surpass - those in Sydney, Adelaide, and elsewhere.

While Lionel Scaloni certainly doesn't like to change a winning team, he may feel the need to change his starting line-up again due to the quick turnaround between games.

This could put Lisandro Martinez in contention for a spot in central defense, while Lyon's Nicolas Tagliafico aims to usurp left-back Marcos Acuna.

After impressing as a substitute in Argentina's first two games in the finals, Enzo Fernandez is ready to fend off the challenge of Leandro Paredes on the bench against both Poland and Mexico.

Meanwhile, Lautaro Martinez was deep at the back on Wednesday night, starting from the touchline and attacking, but Julian Alvarez's goal could see him join the fray, joining the likes of stalwarts Angel Di Maria and Lionel Messi.

Like Nathaniel Atkins, Australia can make a limited number of changes, with Nathaniel Atkinson and Fran Karasik - who started the first and second matches - competing with Miloš Dženek, who then took the reins at right-back against Denmark.

Craig Goodwin endured a tough 45 minutes against the Danes and was replaced at half-time by Keanu Backes, who slotted effortlessly into the Aussies' engine room alongside Aaron Mo. Graham Arnold may therefore make a bold call to the relatively inexperienced St Mirren midfielder's squad on Saturday.

Mitchell Duke once again leads the way up front, overcoming his modest status as a man who played his club football in the Japanese second round.

Argentina's probable starting line-up:

E. Martinez; Molina, Otamendi, Romero, Tagliafico; McAllister, Fernandez, De Paul; Alvarez, Messi, Di Maria

Australia Probable Starting Lineup:

Ryan; Karasic, Soutar, Rolls, Behich; my Leckie, Irvine, McGree, Goodwin; Duke

We say: Argentina 2:0 Australia

Argentina is determined to use their regained form and fluidity to progress to the quarter-finals and avoid the defending champions from the top of Group C. While the Australian side could keep them at bay in certain spells if the Albiceleste can show their undoubted quality in the final third they should be the winners just one.