The World Cup is coming, and it seems like there have never been such high expectations from so many national teams. Argentina is one of those teams that many people think can finally win the WC, and when we take a look at their squad, group, and bracket, there is a reason for that, which is why many people place their money on Argentina to win it all, and you can do the same at bet365, and this is why.
Why is there so much hype about Argentina in this WC?
There are so many things about this WC that make it one of a kind, the location, the timing, and the climate of the host country, but as for football aspects, one of the main ones is about Argentina’s national team, or to be more precise, Messi. Namely, after spending almost 20 years as a part of a senior squad of Argentina’s national team, the only trophy he still doesn’t have is the one from the World Cup, which is probably one of the most important trophies in football. Now, this is a team sport, and understandably, one player, regardless of how great he is, simply cannot lead one team and go all the way, but that’s where this Argentinian team differs from the others, as there are some experienced and renowned professionals.
Another thing we cannot overlook is that this is probably the last WC for Messi, meaning that he and the entire team will be even hungrier to go all the way and lift the trophy 18th of December. Some even state that if they actually achieve so, it will make Messi a true GOAT, something people have been talking about for quite some time now. They were close to lifting the trophy in 2014, and what a journey and conquest it would be to do so in the country of their biggest and oldest rivals, Brazil, but Die Mannschaft was simply better in the final match.
Past results
From 1990 to 2014, the best result was getting to the quarter-finals on several occasions, and the biggest “slap in the face” occurred in 2002 when they were eliminated in the group stage. In Russia, many were skeptical about how much that Argentinian team could do, and the draw against the Island in their first game proved them right. Their second game wasn’t much better as they lost to Croatia, a side that ended the tournament as the runner-up, and they got through the group because of the late winning goal from Rojo in 86. minute against Nigeria. Understandably, the round of 16 was as highest as this team could go, even though they really had a chance to win against France, as it was probably their best match in that tournament.
Group stage
The start of the WC should be easy for the Argentinian side, as they play their first game against Saudi Arabia on the 22 of November. It is a great game to adapt to entirely new conditions and stadium in Qatar, as they have two much more difficult games, against Mexico (Nov. 26) and Poland (Nov.30). They are strong favorites to go through to the next stage, but they need to get a positive result and finish first in their group so that they will get much easier opponents later.
Knockout draw
After the group stage, there are four more possible games, and in order to lift the trophy, you must win every single one.
Round of 16
If everything goes to plan, they should probably face Denmark or Tunis, as France should definitely finish first in group D. That is why finishing first in their group should be the first goal of this tournament, as even though football fans would like to watch a football classic between France and Argentina, that’s probably not something both teams want in this stage. The round of 16 is just the beginning of the journey for this team, and beating Denmark is something everyone in Argentina believes in.
Quarterfinals
Everyone who follows sports will say that the most important game in any tournament is the one in the quarter-finals, as you are just one step from fighting for the medal and trophy, but if you lose, you go home. That is why there is so much pressure on teams when the quarter-final games start, but even here, if they finish first in the group and avoid France in the first knockout stage, their rivals will probably be either Netherlands or USA. When we look at the squad of all three teams, the Argentinian side is a much better one, and they have one of the best players that ever played, which makes them huge favorites against these rivals, even though the beauty of the sport is that everything is possible.
Semi-finals
Well, the time must come to face some strong teams in WC, and just the fact that Argentina can get to the semi-finals without facing any favorite to win the trophy is enough, but here, the chances are high that they will face some fierce rivals. Namely, it’s highly likely they will face either Spain or Brazil, but that part of the tournament bracket is much tougher to predict, meaning that they could also face Croatia or even Portugal. What a game that would be to see Messi face Ronaldo’s Portugal and watch one last time these two great footballers fighting for their rightful place in history!
Finals
It’s the 18th of December, and the fans are going wild, cheering and singing, supporting their teams to make that final step, and if Argentina avoids France in the round of 16, it’s probably the team they will face in the Finals. Yes, there are some great teams besides France, like Belgium, England, and Germany, in that part of the bracket, but France has probably the best squad when we look at the players’ names. No one can predict what will happen in such big tournaments, and the only certain thing is that surprises will happen, which just brings more joy to us football fans, but Argentina going all the way and Messi lifting that trophy is probably the best possible outcome. All in all, let the games begin!
