19:54
The game will be refereed by experienced Dutch referee Danny Makkelie. Together with his assistants, the 39-year-old has already led the teams onto the pitch of Stadium 974 and the national anthems will be playing in a few moments.
19:48
The winner of this game not only beckons progress, but also first place in the table. And that’s quite interesting in this case, because the opponents for the round of 16 have already been determined. While the runners-up in Group C have to face defending champions France, the group winners face what are supposedly easier opponents, Australia.
19:36
But the Poles will hardly let that drive them crazy. “We’re currently top of the table and have four points from our first two games. That’s the minimum goal we set ourselves,” reported keeper Wojciech Szczęsny, stating: “We’re in a good position to progress.” But everyone in Poland knows that it won’t be a walk in the park. “It’s going to be a very difficult game against Argentina and we hope we can continue like this,” said Szczęsny, who helped put his team in a good position by saving the penalty against Saudi Arabia.
19:23
The atmosphere in Argentina was so good after the 2-0 win over Mexico that the embarrassing defeat at the start was almost forgotten. Also because Lionel Messi was able to deliver under pressure and contributed the opening goal and assists to make it 2-0. Is the six-time world footballer still on the winning side today? For coach Lionel Scaloni that is out of the question. “Poland will be a difficult game – that’s the reality. I’m not saying we’ll try, I’m saying we’ll win the game,” the South American coach clarified before the game.
19:15
Let’s take a look at the line-ups: The Poles have only made one change compared to the last game. Karol Świderski replaces Arkadiusz Milik (bench) in the starting XI. On the other hand, despite the convincing performance in the second match, Lionel Scaloni made four changes. Gonzalo Montiel, Lisandro Martínez, Guido Rodríguez and Lautaro Martínez have to make way on the bench and Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Enzo Fernández and Julián Álvarez start in their place.
19:05
It’s also very exciting because nobody really knows what to expect from the teams. Both Poland and Argentina made a good and a very modest performance. Lewandowski & Co. recently beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 after a tired 0-0 draw against Mexico. Messi and his colleagues surprisingly lost 2-1 to those Saudis at the start, but then clearly dominated Mexico 2-0.
19:01
The starting position in Group C could hardly be more exciting. All four teams still have a chance of progressing and their fate is largely in their own hands. In the parallel game, if they win, Saudi Arabia is sure to go through, Mexico need to win and do something for goal difference to have chances. The best cards currently have the Poles, who would certainly have progressed even with a draw against Argentina. The Albiceleste, on the other hand, must score three times in order to safely move into the round of 16.
19:00
Hello and welcome back to the FIFA World Cup 2022! This evening will decide which two teams from Group C will advance to the round of 16. Here we follow the game between Poland and Argentina, which kicks off at 8 p.m. in Doha.