Who will win Group C in the 2022 World Cup?

Group C will feature one of the favourites for the competition in Lionel Messi's Argentina, as they take on Robert Lewandowski-led Poland, CONCACAF representatives Mexico, and the group underdogs Saudi Arabia.

Can Messi lead his side to glory in this competition and emulate Diego Maradona's heroics for 'La Albiceleste'? In our latest World Cup feature blog, we will take a closer look at some of the key Spreadex markets to watch out for and preview the betting odds* for each team in Group C!

*Prices subject to change, spread betting losses may exceed deposit

WHAT ARE THE WORLD CUP BETTING ODDS ON ARGENTINA IN GROUP C?

Two-time winners (1978 & 1986) Argentina agonisingly missed out on this trophy back in 2014 in Brazil as they were beaten in extra time by Germany in the final after a surprisingly strong run at the time, but they will come into Qatar as one of the key favourites to lift the trophy after winning the last edition of the Copa America, as well as the one-off trophy between the EURO winners and Copa America winners as they defeated Italy.

As such, 'La Albiceleste' come into this campaign as clear betting favourites to win Group C, with an opening spread of 18.5 - 20 on the binary 25-10-5-0 market. This means that the market settles at 25 if they come top, 10 if they finish second, 5 if they finish third, and 0 if they finish bottom. On the fixed odds, they are available at 40/85 to win the group, 1/11 to qualify, and 13/2 not to qualify. In terms of their odds of becoming outright champions, their Tournament Winner odds are 5/1 on the fixed odds and with a spread price of 33 - 36.

Much of the goalscoring threat is expected to rest on captain and icon Lionel Messi, who was instrumental in leading his side's charge to the final in 2014 and may be featuring in his last ever major tournament - or at least last World Cup. He is available at 10/1 to be the top goalscorer in the competition, with a Tournament PGM spread of 130 - 145 and a Tournament Goals spread of 2.55 - 2.85. On the Highest Team Scoring Index market, Argentina are available at 19 - 22. In this market, the top scoring nation will have a market settlement of 100, with the second-highest settling at 50 and third-highest at 25.

WHAT ARE THE WORLD CUP BETTING ODDS ON POLAND IN GROUP C?

Poland will be featuring in their ninth World Cup and will be hopeful of reaching the knockout stages for the first time since way back in 1986. Their best result has been two third-placed finishes in 1974 and 1982, but they have exited at the group stage in their last three appearances in 2002, 2006, and 2018.

The 'Red & White Eagles' will be relying on talismanic Barcelona striker and captain Robert Lewandowski once again, who has scored an impressive 76 goals in 134 caps (both all-time records for the national team). After defeating Sweden in the play-offs to reach these finals the hard way, they will be confident of at least grabbing a runner-up knockout qualifying spot behind group favourites Argentina. In terms of the betting odds for this time, Poland are available with an opening spread of 9 - 10.5 on the Group C index, and on the fixed odds at 17/4 to win the group, and 10/11 to qualify or not to qualify.

Lewandowski will be desperate to make his mark on an international tournament at the back end of his career, and the former Bayern Munich man - who netted nine times in qualification for the tournament - is available at 33/1 to finish as the competition's leading goalscorer here, with a Tournament Goals spread of 1.55 - 1.75 and a Tournament PGM spread of 80 - 90.

WHAT ARE THE WORLD CUP BETTING ODDS ON MEXICO IN GROUP C?

Mexico have been a mainstay in World Cups throughout the competition's history, with this being their 17th appearance in the 22nd edition. Their best result so far has been reaching the quarter-finals twice, but they have been impressively consistent to reach the knockout stages of the last seven editions extending way back to 1994. As such, they will surely be confident of increasing that streak here.

'El Tri' come into the tournament with a Group C index spread of 8.5 - 10, slightly behind Poland as third-favourites, and on the fixed odds at 17/4 to top the group, and 5/6 to qualify and 19/20 to not qualify. In the 2018 World Cup, Mexico produced a big shock in the group stage to defeat the reigning champions Germany - could they produce a shock against Argentina here?

On our team group markets, Mexico are available on the Team Group Points Won market at 4.1 - 4.3. Would you buy or sell?

WHAT ARE THE WORLD CUP BETTING ODDS ON SAUDI ARABIA IN GROUP C?

And finally, group C's definite outsiders will be the Asian representatives Saudi Arabia, who will be competing in their sixth World Cup. They managed to reach the knockout stage on their debut appearance in 1994, but since then have exited at the group stage each time - and the odds suggest this is likely to continue here. However, the Qatar climate may suit them and they will be hopeful of that boosting their chances.

In terms of the betting odds, Saudi Arabia are available with a Group Index spread of 1.5 - 3, and on the fixed odds at 25/1 to win Group C, 7/1 to qualify and 1/12 not to qualify. They have conceded at least six goals in all of their competition appearances so far, so improving their defensive organisation will likely be a priority. On the Spreadex Team Group Goals Conceded market, we have Saudi Arabia available at 6.1 - 6.4.

Will the Saudi Arabians manage to cause any shocks here or are they destined to come bottom of the group?

View all of our FIFA 2022 World Cup betting markets here!