World Cup
Nov 22, 2022 10.00am
1
2
HT : 1 0
FT
  • Lionel Messi 10' goal
  • goal Saleh Al-Shehri 48'
  • goal Salem Al-Dawsari 53'

 Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia: How do both squads compare ahead of World Cup clash?

Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia: How do both squads compare ahead of World Cup clash?

A star-studded Argentina squad will look to emulate feted names of the past this winter in Qatar, starting with Tuesday's Group C opener against Saudi Arabia.

While the likes of Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez and Angel Di Maria adorn the Argentine roster, Saudi Arabia contain far fewer household names as they aim to cause an upset.

The Saudis are major underdogs to make it out of a group which also contains Mexico and Poland, so anything they could get against one of the tournament favourites would be considered a bonus.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how the two squads compare against each other ahead of the contest.


ARGENTINA

Most valuable player: Lautaro Martinez (£65m)

Overall squad value: £558.9m

Most capped player: Lionel Messi (165)

Leading goalscorer: Lionel Messi (91)

Total caps: 887

Total goals: 165

Oldest player: Franco Armani (36)

Youngest player: Enzo Fernandez (21)

Average age: 27.8

SQUAD IN FULL

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Geronimo Rulli (Villarreal), Franco Armani (River Plate)

Defenders: Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), German Pezzella (Real Betis), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Marcos Acuna (Sporting Lisbon), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), Juan Foyth (Villarreal)

Midfielders: Rodrigo De Paul, (Atletico Madrid), Leandro Paredes (Juventus), Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton & Hove Albion), Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis), Papu Gomez (Sevilla), Enzo Fernandez (Benfica), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen)

Forwards: Angel Di Maria (Juventus), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Julian Alvarez (Manchester City), Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina), Joaquin Correa (Inter Milan), Paulo Dybala (AS Roma), Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain)


SAUDI ARABIA

Most valuable player: Sultan Al-Ghannam (£2.2m)

Overall squad value: £21.8m

Most capped player: Yasser Al-Shahrani (72)

Leading goalscorer: Salem Al-Dawsari (17)

Total caps: 749

Total goals: 64

Oldest player: Salman Al-Faraj (33)

Youngest player: Haitham Asiri (21)

Average age: 27.4

SQUAD IN FULL

Goalkeepers: Mohamed Al-Owais (Al-Hilal), Nawaf Al-Aqidi (Al-Nassr), Mohamed Al-Yami (Al-Ahly)

Defenders: Yasser Al-Shahrani (Al-Hilal), Ali Al-Bulaihi (Al-Hilal), Abdulelah Al-Amri (Al-Nassr), Abdullah Madu (Al-Nassr), Hassan Tambakti (Al-Shabab), Sultan Al-Ghanam (Al-Nassr), Mohammed Al-Breik (Al-Hilal), Saud Abdulhamid (Al-Hilal)

Midfielders: Salman Al-Faraj (Al-Hilal), Riyadh Sharahili (Abha), Ali Al-Hassan (Al-Nassr), Mohamed Kanno (Al-Hilal), Abdulelah Al-Malki (Al-Hilal), Sami Al-Najei (Al-Nassr), Abdullah Otayf (Al-Hilal), Nasser Al-Dawsari (Al-Hilal), Abdulrahman Al-Aboud (Ittihad), Salem Al-Dawsari (Al-Hilal), Hattan Bahebri (Al-Shabab)

Forwards: Fahad Al-Muwallad (Al-Shabab), Haitham Asiri (Al-Ahly), Saleh Al-Shehri (Al-Hilal) Firas Al-Buraikan (Al-Fateh)


POLL
Who will win Tuesday's World Cup clash between Argentina and Saudi Arabia?
Argentina 89%
Draw 4%
Saudi Arabia 7%
Share this article:
Subscribe to our newsletter

Get FREE daily news and in-depth previews for games from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football — straight to your inbox.

Subscribe