The Asian outfit’s destiny is still in their own hands, as three points against Mexico will seal their place in the knockout stages for only the second time, having got as far as the last-16 in 1994.
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Saudi Arabia and Mexico will face each other in their final Group C fixture at the Lusail Stadium On Wednesday, aiming to secure qualification for the knockouts of the Qatar World Cup. The Green Falcons have three points to their name, having secured a surprise 2-1 win over Argentina in their opening match, before losing 2-0 to Poland on Saturday. Mexico, meanwhile, suffered a 2-0 defeat to Argentina in their second match of proceedings, following a goalless draw to Poland in the first fixture. The Asian outfit’s destiny is still in their own hands, as three points against Mexico will seal their place in the knockout stages for only the second time, having got as far as the last-16 in 1994. As for Mexico, they will have to get the better of the Green Falcons and then rely on the result of the other match in the group between Argentina and poland.
— Saudi National Team (@SaudiNT_EN) November 29, 2022
Saudi Arabia, who secured a historic victory against the favourites Argentina in their opening fixture, failed to get anything from the game against Poland, despite giving a good account of themselves at the Education City Stadium on Saturday. Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was the stand out performer as the Juventus-man denied Salem Al-Dawsari from the penalty spot and produced some fine saves to keep a clean sheet. Piotr Zielinski put Poland ahead in the 39th-minute, before Robert Lewandowski doubled the lead with an 82nd-minute strike and sealed the win. A draw in the final match may even be enough for Herve Renard’s side if Poland can do them a favour by beating La Albiceleste by at least three goals .
Mexico, on the other hand, are currently sitting at the bottom of the group, and even a victory will not guarantee them a place in the last-16. But they are still very much alive in the competition and Gerardo Matino’s side have enough experience and quality in their ranks to deal with a do-or-die situation. El Tri have progressed to the knockout stages of every World Cup since 1994 and have not gone out in the group stage since 1978. In their previous match, after a goalless first-half, Lionel Messi broke the deadlock with a stunning strike from outside the box and substitute Enzo Fernandez came up with an even better effort to double the lead and seal the win for Lionel Scaloni’s side.
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Saudi Arabia has been involved in two hard-fought encounters and it would be interesting to see whether the Green Falcons have enough gas in their tanks to make a final push . Mohammed Al-Burayk, Yasir Al-Shahrani and Salman Al-Faraj are sidelined with injuries, while Abdulelah Al-Malki won’t be available for Wednesday’s game because of a yellow card suspension. As for Mexico, captain Andrés Guardado was forced off after just 42 minutes against Argentina with an apparent muscle injury, but reports claim that the 36-year-old will be fit for the game against the Green Falcons. Raul Jimenex, who is set to bring up his 100th international cap on Wednesday is likely to spearhead the attack, with Hirving Lozano and Alexis Vega in support.
Saudi Arabia probable starting lineups: Alowais, Abdulhamid, Al-Amiri, Tambakti, Al-Ghannam, Kanno, Al-Buraikan, Al-Hassan, Al-Najei, Al-Dawsari, al-Shehri
Mexico probable starting lineup: Ochoa, Sanchez, Moreno, Montes, Gallardo, Herrera, Guardado, Chavez, Lozano, Jimenez, Vega
Saudi Arabia
| Opponents | Score |
| Poland | 2-0 (L) |
| Argentina | 1-2 (W) |
| Croatia | 0-1 (L) |
| Panama | 1-1 (D) |
| Iceland | 1-0 (W) |
Mexico
| Opponents | Score |
| Argentina | 2-0 (W) |
| Poland | 0-0 (D) |
| Sweden | 1-2 (L) |
| Iraq | 4-0 (W) |
| Colombia | 3-2 (L) |
| Last 3 matches (all competitions) | Results |
| Mexico beat Saudi Arabia | 5-1 |
| Mexico beat Saudi Arabia | 5-0 |
| Mexico beat Saudi Arabia | 2-0 |
The FIFA World Cup match between Saudi Arabia and Mexico will take place at Lusail Stadium on Thursday at 12:30 am IST.
| Saudi Arabia vs Mexico | Key details |
| Date | November 30 |
| Venue | Lusail Stadium |
| Kickoff time in India | 12:30 am (Thursday) |
| Kickoff time in Saudi Arabia | 10:00 pm (Wednesday) |
| Kickoff time in Mexico | 01:00 pm (Wednesday) |
| Kickoff time in Qatar | 10:00 pm (Wednesday) |
The FIFA World Cup in Qatar can be seen on Sports18 – 1 SD & HD – in India. Sports 18 will be telecasting the games on the regular and HD Channels. Besides, Viacom18 Sports announced that Jio Cinema will live-stream all the World Cup games. Besides, the match between Saudi Arabia and Mexico can be seen on beIN Sports network in Saudi Arabia; and Azteca, Canal 5 Televisa and TUDN network in Mexico.
