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The World Cup is finally here. A few months later than normal but here nonetheless. And the team at RotoBaller has you covered for all your World Cup needs. We'll bring you DFS articles, game previews, and betting picks throughout the competition.
To get things going, we're previewing different international clubs every day until the big kick-off on Sunday, November 20th. Today we continue the previews with Argentina.
We'll be covering a brief snapshot of the nation's World Cup history, what to expect from the nation, a few highlighted players from the nation, and their predicted starting 11.
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Today's World Cup Sportsbook Odds - Argentina
- Caesars Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on Caesars
- Bet Argentina to win the World Cup at +950
- Bet Argentina to win the Group at -286
- BetMGM Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on BetMGM!
- Bet Argentina to win the World Cup at +800
- Bet Argentina to win the Group at -333
- DraftKings Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on DraftKings!
- Bet Argentina to win the World Cup at +900
- Bet Argentina to win the Group at -280
- PointsBet Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on PointsBet!
- Bet Argentina to win the World Cup at +800
- Bet Argentina to win the Group at -275
- FanDuel Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on FanDuel!
- Bet Argentina to win the World Cup at +800
- Bet Argentina to win the Group at -240
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Preview
If you don't have a dog in this World Cup battle, it'll be hard to cheer against Lionel Messi and his Argentine teammates. One of the greatest to ever step on the pitch is playing at the highest level of international football for the final time. Messi vanquished doubts about his pedigree at the international level with a victory at the 2021 Copa America, and since the 2019 Copa America, Argentina hasn't lost a competitive game.
With previous World Cup victories in 1978 and 1986, this country has a storied history in the tournament. Since the last time they hoisted the trophy, they've qualified for the knockout rounds in seven of eight iterations, with a further five quarter-final berths. They've played the final match twice (1990, 2014) but failed to convert those into wins. While a tricky group awaits them in Qatar (Mexico, Poland, Saudi Arabia), the Albicelestes have enough class to advance as Group C winners.
It'll be the knockout stages where things get, predictably, a tad tougher. With likely games against Denmark and Netherlands blocking their path to the semi-finals, Argentina will be favored in both contests. Should Messi and co advance that far, it could be any of Spain, Germany, Belgium, Brazil, or Portugal in the penultimate round. I fancy them to make it to the final and send Messi into the sunset with a World Cup win under his belt.
Prediction: World Cup Champions
Who is Starting for (Argentina's) Squad in the 2022 World Cup
Predicted Starting 11 (4-4-2): Martinez, Tagliafico, Romero, Otamendi, Molina, Mac Allister, Paredes, De Paul, Di Maria, Messi, Martinez
Alternate Options By Position:
GK: Armani, Rulli
DF: Acuna, Foyth, Martinez, Montiel, Pezzella
MF: Fernandez, Palacios, Rodriguez
FW: Dybala, Correa, Alvarez, Gonzalez, Gomez
Who Are Argentina's Best Players To Watch?
Defense: Emiliano Martinez - GK (Aston Villa)
The man between the sticks for Argentina, Emiliano Martinez, has been a revelation for the South American squad since Lionel Scaloni took over as national team manager. At the 2021 Copa America, Martinez kept four clean sheets in six games as the sky blue and whites ended their 29-year drought for a major trophy. The most important of the four came in the final versus Brazil to help Lionel Messi claim his first international title.
As an encore, Martinez kept clean sheets in seven of the 10 CONMEBOL games during World Cup qualifying. While Mexico and Poland will provide solid and early tests for the Argentina defense, a game versus Saudi Arabia seems like an excellent chance for another clean sheet in Martinez's impressive international resume. Of course, the spotlight remains on Argentina's attack as long as Messi is around, but the Aston Villa keeper will play an essential role in this team's chances of an extended stay in the Middle East.
Midfield: Angel Di Maria - RM (Juventus)
While his prime days are past, Angel Di Maria will be a name that casual fans will remember. After stints with Real Madrid, Manchester United, and PSG, the midfielder finds himself in Serie A with Juventus. Now 34, Di Maria is back with the national team and seems set to be a prolific partner in Messi's final stand.
This season, Di Maria's contributed a goal and an assist in seven Serie A games but thrived in the Champions League with three assists in three games. For the national team, he's found his goal-scoring form with five goals in the six games he's played for his country in 2022. An in-form Di Maria is still a dangerous asset for any team, and he'll have a moment or two to remind us of that during the 2022 World Cup.
Forward: Lionel Messi - ST (PSG)
There's not a lot to be said about the GOAT at this point. He's won every accolade on the planet except the World Cup. He's played in Paris for the last year and a half after a legendary career at Barcelona. However, the three-time Champions League winner seems much more settled in his second season in France. In 18 games between Ligue 1 and the Champions League this season, Messi's tallied 11 goals and 14 assists.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner seems at peace with his decision to call it quits after this tournament, and it feels like the least amount of pressure he's ever faced while entering a World Cup. After coming so close in 2014 (extra-time loss to Germany) and finally exorcising his demons at the 2021 Copa, the storybook ending is right there for Argentina and the best player they've seen since Maradonna to bring home the hardware in Qatar.
