On Tuesday afternoon, Mexico and Poland clash in Group C of the World Cup, with both teams trying to get an early edge in qualifying for the knockout stages.
Mexico form guideEl Tri qualified for Qatar 2022 by finishing second place in CONCACAF qualifying. This will be Mexico’s 18th appearance at a World Cup. Despite featuring at the last seven World Cups, their best finish in the competition was making the quarter-finals in 1970 and 1986, which were tournaments both held on home soil. In 2018, they made it to the last 16 before suffering a 2-0 defeat to Brazil.
Tato Martino’s side’s recent form has been highly inconsistent, and their record of three wins in their last nine international games is a slightly concerning one.
Poland form guideThe White and Red finished second place in their qualifying group behind England. However, they booked their spot in Qatar by beating Sweden 2-0 in a play-off final.
They have featured in eight previous World Cups prior to Qatar 2022, with their best finish coming in 1974 and 1982, when they finished third place in the competition. However, in the last three tournaments, Poland has failed to make it out of the group stages while claiming just three wins in as many tournaments.
Like their opponents, Poland’s recent international form has been inconsistent. Czeslaw Michniewicz’s team has won back-to-back games against Wales and Chile. However, before the wins, they had suffered two straight home defeats against Belgium and the Netherlands.
Their recent games have been low-scoring affairs, with under 2.5 goals scored in their last four international outings.
What am I backing?Like many of the opening games of World Cup 2022, this could be a tight affair as teams get settled into the tournament. With that in mind, I am backing under 2.5 goals scored.
