FIFA World Cup 2022: Lewandowski's Poland look to stop upbeat Saudi Arabia

Saudia Arabia got off to a fairytale start in their FIFA World Cup 2022 campaign and will now lock horns with Poland in a Group C match at the Education City Stadium on Saturday.

Saudi Arabia pulled off one of the big upsets of this World Cup when they defeated football giants and one of the tournament favourites Argentina in their opening game.

The match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia started on expected lines when Argentina's captain Lionel Messi converted from the spot in the 10th minute to give La Albiceleste a first-half lead. But the match turned upside down in the second half when Saleh Alshehri and Salem Aldawsari netted goals in the second half to propel Saudi Arabia to a famous victory.

The shock win took The Green Falcons to the top of their group.

Meanwhile, Poland had a lacklustre opening game against Mexico which ended in a goalless draw forcing the two teams to split a point each. Poland would be licking their wounds after star striker and captain Robert Lewandowski failed to break his tournament duck when his second-half penalty was saved by Mexican keeper Guillermo Ochoa.

Four years earlier, Poland exited FIFA World 2018 on the group stage. A loss against Saudi Arabia will again endanger their round-of-16 chances. For Saudi Arabia, this match is a chance to qualify for the knock-out stage for the first time since 1994.

Poland: D-W-W-L-L

Saudi Arabia: W-L-D-W-D

The entire Polish squad is fully-fit.

Saudi Arabia have a couple of injury issues to deal with.

Defender Yasir Al Shahrani suffered a horrible clash with his goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais in the match against Argentina. The collision left Al Shahrani with a fractured jaw and severe internal bleeding. Al Shahrani has undergone treatment in a hospital since then and his tournament has come to a premature end. Midfielder Salman Al Faraj could not last the entire course of the match and was subbed off even before half-time. His participation against Poland remains doubtful.

Szczesny, Bereszynski, Kiwior, Glik, Cash, Krychowiak, Zalewski, Szymanski, Zielinski, Kaminski, Lewandowski

Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Bulayhi, Burayk, Malki, Brikan, Abid, Kanno, Dawsari, Shehri

Poland win:  3/4

Draw: 13/5

Saudi Arabia: 15/4

Expect goals from both teams but the match should end in a stalemate. Poland 1, Saudi Arabia 1.

Where to watch and kick-off timing:

The match will kick off at 6:30 PM IST on Saturday, November 26 and will be beamed live on Sports18 and Sports18 HD. Fans can also stream the action online on JioCinema’s official website and Jio Cinema app.