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Argentina are back in action with a 2022 FIFA World Cup knock-out fixture this weekend as they take on Graham Arnold's Australia side in a round-of-16 encounter at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Saturday.
Argentina vs Australia Preview
Australia finished in second place in Group D ahead of Tunisia and Denmark and have pulled off a few surprises at the World Cup. The Socceroos got the better of both Denmark and Tunisia and will need to pull off a similar result against a more formidable Argentine side.
Argentina overcame defeat against Saudi Arabia in their opening game to finish at the top of Group C and qualify for the round of 16. The Albiceleste secured an important 2-0 victory against Poland this week and will be confident ahead of this fixture.
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Argentina vs Australia Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Argentina have a predictably excellent record against Australia and have won five out of the seven matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Australia's one victory.
- The previous meeting between the two teams took place in a friendly in 2007 and ended in a narrow 1-0 victory for Argentina, with Martin Demichelis scoring the winning goal.
- Australia have secured only one victory against Argentina in their history, defeating the Albiceleste 4-1 at home in 1988.
- Australia are winless in four matches against South American opponents in the FIFA World Cup and have lost three of these games.
- Argentina crashed out of the round of 16 after a defeat against France in 2018 and have never been eliminated before the quarterfinals in consecutive editions of the World Cup.
- Australia have reached the knock-out stages of the FIFA World Cup for only the second time in their history, previously achieving the feat under Guus Hiddink in 2006.
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Argentina vs Australia Prediction
Argentina remain one of the favorites to win the World Cup and have grown into a balanced and effective unit under Lionel Scaloni. With Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria in their ranks, the South American champions can be virtually unstoppable on their day.
Australia have already pulled off a couple of upsets at the World Cup and gave France a scare in their opening game. Argentina will need to be wary of their opponents but they certainly do have the ammunition they need to win this game, and we expect them to progress to the quarterfinals.
Prediction: Argentina 3-1 Australia
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Argentina vs Australia Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Argentina
Tip 2: Game to have over 2.5 goals - Yes
Tip 3: Argentina to score first - Yes
Tip 4: Lionel Messi to score - Yes
