Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia: 2022 World Cup Odds and Predictions

Daniel Coyle
November 20, 2022

Currently perched at No. 3 on the FIFA men’s rankings, the Argentines arrive in Qatar riding an epic 36-match unbeaten streak across all competitions, capped by a 5-0 rout of UAE in their final pre-tourney friendly on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia look to rebound from a recent dismal run that has produced just one win in five overall outings, capped by Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Croatia in friendly action.

Not surprisingly, Argentina have emerged as massive -732 favourites in Tuesday’s contest, while the Saudis lag as lengthy +1600 underdogs. The odds of this Group C clash ending in a draw are pegged at +596, while -164 odds favour the total going OVER 2.5.

Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia Betting Analysis

Argentina -1650
Draw +1000
Saudi Arabia +3100

Tuesday morning’s matchup at Lusail Iconic Stadium marks just the second all-time meeting between these two sides, and the first since Argentina tallied a 3-1 victory at the 1992 Confederations Cup. Argentina has been simply dominant while rolling to five straight wins across all competitions, outscoring opponents by a 19-0 margin in those contests. It has been a harder road for Saudi Arabia, who have failed to score more than one goal in 19 straight matches, and seen the total finish UNDER 2.5 in each of those contests.

Argentina

While Argentina have dominated on both sides of the ball throughout their epic unbeaten streak, maintaining that momentum remains a massive challenge as they begin the quest for their first World Cup title in 36 years. Indeed, recent World Cup appearances have been marked by disappointment, with the squad advancing beyond the quarter-finals just twice since their last victory in 1986, capped by a Round of 16 exit four years ago. However, with this year’s tournament representing a swan song for Lionel Messi, who is also surrounded by an impressive supporting cast of veterans and rising stars, the Albiceleste kick things off trailing only Brazil as a +333 bet on the World Cup futures. With 10 goals scored over his past four international appearances, Messi appears poised to take Qatar by storm. That is reflected on his rise to the top of the Golden Ball odds as a +619 favourite. Messi is also pegged as a lucrative +270 bet to open the scoring on Tuesday. But after potting the first goal in each of the side’s past two outings, Julian Alvarez should not be overlooked as a +460 wager to do it again on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia

Wins have been hard to come by for Saudi Arabia since they compiled an impressive 12-4-1 win-draw-loss record in qualifying. The Green Falcons have picked up just two wins in 10 outings in all competitions since the end of qualifying, and have scored just four total goals over that stretch. However, the Saudi defence has been equally stingy, keeping clean sheets on five occasions and surrendering just five total goals. But while Saudi Arabia has steadily become a fixture at the World Cup, success has yet to follow. The Green Falcons closed out their return to the big stage in 2018 with a 2-1 win over Egypt in their group stage finale, ending an 11-match winless steak at the tournament, and marking just the third time they have mustered a goal in 10 World Cup contests. However, if the Saudis do find a way to bulge the twine the most likely candidates to do so are veterans Saleh Al-Shehri and Nasser Al-Dawsari, who combined to score 14 total goals during World Cup qualifying.