Lionel Messi begins his journey to World Cup glory in his fifth and final appearance, and that road starts with a matchup against Saudi Arabia. With Messi's goal props not providing worthwhile odds, our betting picks will be looking elsewhere.
This has the feel of a mouthwatering game for the Argentina attack. The Albiceleste have found the net consistently in 2022, including a 3-0 win over Italy in the “Finalissima” clash in June, and coach Lionel Scaloni has plenty of depth to call on. Of course, their prolific form in the final third starts with Messi, who bagged all five goals in a 5-0 win over Estonia this summer.
But there’s not a ton of value in Messi props given the short odds. Instead, I’m looking at his strike partner Lautaro Martinez, who is poised to dominate at the World Cup. The Inter Milan star has netted seven times this year in Serie A and was on target for Argentina in the win over Italy as well as a September friendly against Honduras.
Martinez still seems slightly underrated when it comes to weighing up the best strikers in the world. Look for the 25-year-old to hit the ground running in Qatar against shaky Group C defenses, with quality service from Messi, Angel Di Maria, and Rodrigo De Paul. The Saudi Arabia defense, though organized and physical, simply isn’t accustomed to facing a striker of this caliber.
It also helps that the Saudi Arabia game plan will surely focus on limiting Messi’s impact. With defenders swarming the Argentina number 10, it should free up Martinez to do damage in the box. The Argentines will have to be patient in this tournament opener, with the Green Falcons expected to get men behind the ball in a cautious 4-2-3-1 shell. But Scaloni’s side features enough good passers and creators to open the door for Martinez. When they do, he’s as clinical as it gets. I like these odds for the Inter striker to get on the scoresheet on Tuesday.
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