Lewandowski: “Mexico know how to compete in major tournaments”
The Poland international warned that Mexico, a team that combines youth with experience, will be tough rivals at 2022 Qatar.
The start of the 2022 Qatar World Cup is less than a month away and expectation is starting to rise. Mexico make their World Cup debut against Robert Lewandowski’s Poland. The striker analysed Group C in an interview for FIFA and gave his thoughts on the opponents will face at the group stage: Mexico, Argentina and Saudi Arabia.
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Mexico and Poland are set to meet on Tuesday 22 November 22 in what will be their opening game at the World Cup. Lewandowski knows full well that Mexico have quality and experience to cause Poland a lot of problems - ‘El Tri’ will be starring at their 17th World Cup finals, this will be their eighth consecutive appearance so they have long been a side that knows how to compete on the big stage.
Lewandowski’s thoughts on Group C
“Mexico are a tough team who fight all the way to the final whistle and never give up. They have a combination of youth and experience, and we’re well aware that the Mexicans know how to play at major tournaments. It’ll be a big challenge for us,” Lewandowski told FIFA.
Mexico won’t be the only ones who will be threatening Poland’s chances of progressing to the knockout stages. The Barcelona striker also spoke about Argentina, a team he believes is one of the big favourites to lift the trophy. “There’s not much to say when it comes to Argentina. They’re a huge team and one of the favourites to win the tournament in my opinion. With an absolute legend like Leo Messi as their figurehead, there’s no doubt that’ll be our toughest match. It’ll be great to take on such a great side with such talented players,” he said.
As for Saudi Arabia, this will be their seventh appearance at the finals - their best performance was reaching the Round of 16 in 1994. Lewandowski labelled them as the “surprise package” and says they shouldn’t be underestimated: “We know they have a solid defence and good tactical awareness. They are very agile and capable of good build-up play, so it’ll be up to us to decide how we approach that game. To conclude, the 34-year-old gave his overall impression about what Poland can expect in Qatar: “I think we’ll go into the group with a positive attitude. We’ll play every match with smiles on our faces even if we know it will be very tough,” he ended.
Mexico’s group stage calendar at Qatar 2022
- Mexico vs Poland | Tuesday 22 November
- Mexico vs Argentina | Saturday 26 November
- Mexico vs Saudi Arabia | Wednesday 30 November