FOOTBALL

World Cup Predictions: Argentina vs Saudi Arabia

Published

1 year ago

November 21, 2022

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South American champions Argentina will meet Saudi Arabia at Lusail Stadium to begin their quest for the first World Cup trophy since 1986.

Saudi Arabia are one of the strongest football forces in Asia, having worn the crown of continental supremacy no less than three times, but they will enter the fray as underdogs against La Albiceleste.

Lionel Messi has announced that this will be his last World Cup journey.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or-winner will have one last attempt at the only trophy that has eluded him in his illustrious career, the World Cup.

Messi came agonisingly close to ending his nation’s World Cup drought in 2014, but the heartbreak of a 1-0 loss in the final to Germany prompted him to retire from international duty.

He would return later, but back-to-back final losses to Chile in the Copa América before a humiliating round-of-16 exit from the 2018 World Cup heaped more misery on the mercurial forward.

But then came Lionel Scaloni.

The Scaloni effect

Scaloni was a unproven name when he took charge of Argentina following the 2018 World Cup catastrophe.

He laid the foundations of a formidable team with excellent chemistry between the players.

The former Lazio defender became the first Argentina manager to win an international title since Alfio Basile (1993 Copa América) when he oversaw Argentina’s Copa América-winning campaign in 2021.

Now Scaloni would hope to become the third Argentina manager after Carlos Bilardo and César Menotti to win the World Cup.

He has a vitalised squad at his disposal with the perfect blend of youth and experience.

Argentina would like to get their World Cup mission running with a big win and extend their unbeaten run to 37 matches and match Italy’s world record for the longest unbeaten streak in international football.

Saudi Arabia’s track record

Saudi Arabia played in the inaugural match of the 2018 World Cup, but Al-Saqour will not be keen to relive that memory as they lost 5-0 against the hosts, Russia.

They will be keen to avoid a similar result this time around as they face an even stronger opposition.

The Asian side only progressed beyond the group stages once.

Apart from the round of 16 appearance in the 1994 World Cup, Saudi Arabia never managed to make it into the knockout stages.

Hervé Renard’s team will face an uphill battle to avoid that fate once again as they are scheduled to play against Argentina, Mexico, and Poland in their three group matches.

Saudi Arabia can’t look at their recent results for inspiration either.

They warmed up for the World Cup with a one-all draw with Panama and a narrow 1-0 defeat to Croatia. Over the last ten matches, the Falcons have emerged victorious only twice.

The only advantage Saudi Arabia have over Argentina is that they are more familiar with Qatar’s desert climate than their Monday afternoon oppositions. So, they will hope to take advantage of the sweltering midday heat.

Team News

Lionel Messi’s absence of training sparked rumours that he might not be available for the Group C opener, but the latest reports rubbush such claims and say that the PSG ace will be available to line up alongside Lautaro Martínez and Ángel Di María.

Inter Milan forward Joaquín Correa went back home after sustaining an injury in training. Atalanta’s Thiago Almada took his place in the squad.

In defence, Scaloni might sacrifice Lisandro Martínez in favour of a natural left foot-right foot centre-back pair of Nicolás Otamendi and Cristian Romero.

The latter was doubtful for the Saudi Arabia match, but concrete reports have surfaced that Romero will be fit to start.

Saud Arabia midfielder Riyadh Sharahili has picked up a muscle injury during training which could not only keep him out of the Argentina match, but also end his World Cup campaign.

Defender Hassan Tambakti was not seen in training on Saturday.

Saudi Arabia already had suffered a massive blow to their World Cup ambitions when they were compelled to send Fahad Al-Muwallad, one of their best forwards, back home as his doping test results came back positive.

Our Predictions

Saudi Arabia have two draws in their four encounters with Argentina, but both of those draws came in friendlies, and the World Cup is different gravy.

Argentina have been on red hot form lately, so we expect them to pick up a dominant 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia.

FOOTBALL

WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.

Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.

Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –

🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”

(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC

— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.

Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo

On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.

With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.

FOOTBALL

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Jude Bellingham shown Red Card (Image Credit: Twitter)

England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.

In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.

Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.

Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC

— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024

“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.

“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.

We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti

“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”

“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”

FOOTBALL

PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby

Published

2 months ago

March 2, 2024

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Super Sunday is set to witness the Manchester Derby in the Premier League 2023-24. The match between Manchester City (MCFC) and Manchester United (MUFC) is set to take place in Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City. The two teams have had a contrasting journey in the league till now. The fortunes of City changed ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club as the manager.

While the home side are placed in the second position in the points table currently, United are in the sixth place in the points table. In their previous encounter, City hammered Luton Town by 6-2 in the FA Cup. United have shown massive improvements in the last few weeks after not having a good start to their campaign. United were involved in a thrilling game where they beat Nottingham Forrest by 1-0 in their last game.

Both teams feature some of the best players in the world. The likes of Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and others would be taking part in the match. Manchester City will start the match as the favourites, given their record in the ongoing league so far and the match taking place in their home. United with their improved record can challenge the home side.

MCFC vs MUFC – Match Details

Match – Manchester City (MCFC) vs Manchester United (MUFC), Premier League 2023-24

Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Date and Time – 3^rd March 2024, 21:00 IST

Live Coverage – Star Sports Network and Disney plus Hot Star

MCFC vs MUFC – Head-to-Head

Both the teams from Manchester have a rich history in the sport. they have been up against each other in 191 instances. In as many games, Manchester United have been historically the better side with 78 wins to their name. City have managed to win 60 wins, as 53 games ended in a draw. In the last five games between the two sides in the Premier League, City have won four of the five games.