Since their shocking loss to Saudi Arabia in the first round, Argentina have recovered and are set to enter the 2022 World Cup Knockout Stage. There, they will play for the chance to give Lionel Messi his first and likely only World Cup championship.
When La Alibceleste overcame Mexico and Poland to go to the 2022 FIFA World Cup knockout round, they were rewarded with a match against the tournament's lowest-ranked team since their opening-round loss to Saudi Arabia.
However, they must first defeat a courageous Australia team that stunned Denmark in the last Group Stage game to advance to just their second-ever World Cup knockout game. Despite a devastating opening loss to eventual Group D champions France, the Socceroos bounced back magnificently to overcome Tunisia and, most notably, Denmark 1-0 on their way to the Round of 16.
What would happen if Argentina beat Australia in the Qatar 2022 Round of 16?
In the event of a victory against Australia, Argentina would progress to the tournament's Quarter-Finals for the first time since 2014. In the Quarter-Finals, they would then play the winner of the Netherlands vs USMNT encounter. Louis van Gaal's squad advanced to the next round after finishing first in Group A, while the United States ended second in Group B, behind England.
If Lionel Scaloni's players beat the Socceroos on Saturday, December 3, they will have until Friday, December 9 to prepare for their next encounter. Since there will be a five-day break between games, thus, Lionel Messi and co. will have enough time to prepare for either one of the two possible opponents.
Argentina will be attempting to reverse their terrible luck from the last World Cup, in which they were eliminated in the round of 16. Back in 2018, they suffered a difficult 4-3 defeat at the hands of the eventual future winners, France. However, in 2014, they advanced through the round of 16, but ultimately lost the championship game against Germany.
