Following a disappointing group debut, Argentina got back on track at Qatar 2022. Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi has been pivotal in their resurgence, scoring crucial goals for his team to reach the quarterfinals.

Apart from scoring a stunner against Mexico to keep his team afloat, Messi also stole the show against Australia to help La Albiceleste set up a meeting against the Netherlands in the Round of 16.

Though Argentina have a point to prove against the Dutch team, many already see them as a strong candidate to win the World Cup. Messi has stayed humble after the Australia game, mentioning other teams as favorites. However, he forgot to name England. It's important to keep in mind his comments came before Spain lost to Morocco or Portugal beat Switzerland.

Messi forgets to name England among World Cup favorites

“We have seen the entire World Cup,” Messi told reporters, via The Mirror. “The matches that we can, of course. Brazil is playing very well, except for the defeat they had against Cameroon, they continue to be one of the great favourites.

“Also France. And Spain, despite the manner of their progress (losing against Japan), because they played very well, they are really clear about what he their game is when they have the ball, they control possession for a long time of the game.

"Argentina is a power and is always among the best teams. We knew that before coming here we were one of the candidates because of what we had been doing and we had to prove it on the pitch. And luckily we have been doing it and hopefully we will continue taking small steps.”

Of course, Messi may have just forgotten to mention them, but still consider the Three Lions as serious contenders. England, however, will have to pass a huge test against France in the quarterfinals. Using this World Cup Predictor, you can see every potential outcome of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

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