A place in the FIFA World Cup 2022 quarter-finals will be on the line when Argentina and Australia clash at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Saturday.
The group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2022 ends on Friday, with Brazil vs Cameroon and Serbia vs Switzerland scheduled to be played simultaneously. And the Round of 16 will kick off on Saturday, with the day’s second game featuring Argentina and Australia at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
Argentina reached the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup 2022 the hard way. La Albiceleste went down 2-1 to Saudi Arabia to kick off the campaign in Qatar. But hard-fought wins over Mexico and Poland helped Lionel Scaloni’s men top Group C.
On the other hand, Australia reaching the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2022 might not have been a part of anyone’s predictions. But the Socceroos have been one of the surprise packages of the tournament. Like Argentina, Graham Arnold’s charges began their campaign with a defeat, going down to France. But Australia beat Tunisia and Denmark against all odds to finish level on points with Les Bleus in Group D.
Argentina eked out a narrow 1-0 win the last time they locked horns with Australia, with Martin Demichelis scoring the only goal in a friendly in 2007. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Argentina
#SeleccionMayor Hasta ahí la palabra del entrenador @lioscaloni a un día del choque ante Australia por los Octavos de Final. pic.twitter.com/JlmvAZNcaA
— Selección Argentina 🇦🇷 (@Argentina) December 2, 2022
Lionel Scaloni does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of the game against Australia. The Argentina head coach has a full-strength squad at his disposal this weekend.
Emiliano Martinez will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Argentina lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him. Lisandro Martinez will hope to earn a place in the central defensive partnership. But Cristian Romero and Nicolas Otamendi should retain their pairing. But Nicolas Tagliafico will likely replace Marcos Acuna, with Nahuel Molina continuing on the right flank.
Enzo Fernandez has been in good touch at the World Cup and should start ahead of Leandro Paredes. The in-form midfielder will sit at the base of the midfield, with Alexis Mac Allister and Rodrigo De Paul providing him with defensive support. Mac Allister will also be the bridge between the attack and the defence.
Lionel Messi has blown hot and cold thus far at the World Cup. And Argentina’s captain will be desperate to make his mark by scoring his first-ever goal in the knockouts of a World Cup. Angel Di Maria and Julian Alvarez should support the 35-year-old in the final third, with the latter likely starting ahead of Lisandro Martinez.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Emiliano Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Mac Allister; Di Maria, Messi, Alvarez
Australia
Like his counterpart in the Argentina dugout, Graham Arnold does not have any new concerns to deal with ahead of the trip to the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. The Australia head coach will have a fully-fit squad at his disposal on Saturday.
Mathew Ryan picks himself between the sticks, and Australia will line up in a 4-1-4-1 formation in front of the Socceroos’ captain against Argentina. The system will morph into a 4-3-3 in the defensive phases to create overloads in the middle of the park.
Argentina awaits ⏳🔜💪
🇦🇷 v 🇦🇺 4.12.22, 6am AEDT
📺💻📱: SBS, SBS On Demand#Socceroos #GiveIt100 #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/UrWURSetii— Socceroos (@Socceroos) December 2, 2022
Harry Souttar and Kye Rowles will form the central defensive partnership, with the duo looking to keep things tight. They will need to keep Lionel Messi in check and not get swayed by the Argentina captain’s positioning. Fran Karacic and Aziz Behich should start as the full-backs on Saturday.
Aaron Mooy will be the deepest midfielder for Australia. The 32-year-old will aim to hold the fort in the middle of the park, looking to cut off the supply to Messi. Riley McGree and Jackson Irvine will provide defensive support to Mooy. But the duo will primarily hope to push Australia forward in the final third.
Mathew Leckie has been the in-form player for Australia at the World Cup. And the 31-year-old will carry a significant threat from the right flank. Craig Goodwin will bring directness from the left wing, with Mitchell Duke spearheading the attack.
Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Ryan; Karacic, Souttar, Rowles, Behich; Mooy; Leckie, Irvine, McGree, Goodwin; Duke
Key Stats
- Saturday’s clash will be the first meeting between Argentina and Australia since a friendly in September 2007, won 1-0 by Argentina thanks to a goal from Martin Demichelis. It is their first-ever meeting at the World Cup.
- Saturday’s match-up will be Australia’s fifth World Cup match against a South American opponent, with the Socceroos winless in the previous four (D1 L3). Argentina’s only previous meetings with a team from Oceania are their seven games against Australia, none of which have come in the World Cup.
- Australia have reached the knockout stages of the World Cup for only the second time, also doing so back in 2006 under Guus Hiddink. They lost 1-0 to eventual winners Italy in the Round of 16 that year, with Francesco Totti scoring a last-minute penalty to eliminate them.
- Australia have won their last two World Cup matches, as many as in their first 17 games combined in the competition (D4 L11). They have also opened the scoring in all three games in 2022, having only done so twice in 16 games across the editions in 1974, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018.
- Lionel Messi is looking to score for Argentina in the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time, with all eight of his goals coming in the group stage. He has had 23 efforts without scoring in the knockout stages. But Messi has assisted in the Round of 16 in each of the tournaments in 2010, 2014 and 2018, making him the only player to provide an assist in the knockout stages of the three previous editions.
Player to Watch
Enzo Fernandez
Enzo Fernandez has been one of the game-changers for Argentina at the World Cup after initially being an option on the bench. The 21-year-old has shown that he is an option to make his mark from the get-go instead of being an impact substitute.
The Benfica midfielder also showcased his ability to play as a deep-lying midfielder instead of the usual box-to-box role. And Fernandez will need to be at his best to keep a lid on Australia’s tricky attackers. A solid showing in the middle will set the base for Lionel Messi to express himself further up the pitch.
Prediction
Argentina 2-1 Australia
Australia and Argentina meet in a match on Saturday where it is hard to call a winner. Lionel Scaloni’s charges have been far from fluent and nowhere near the favourites they were supposed to be. On the other hand, the Socceroos have raised their levels with each passing game.
Graham Arnold has forged a resilient unit that can give the best teams a run for their money. So Argentina will not have it easy at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Saturday. But Lionel Messi will be desperate to score his first-ever goal at the knockout stage of a World Cup. And the Argentina captain should ultimately make the difference to seal a hard-fought win for La Albiceleste.
