Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s LIVE coverage of the Argentina vs Australia FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match at the Al Rayyan Stadium.
23:10 – Messi’s stats in his 999 appearances:
23:08 – Here is how Australia ended its group stage:
| Position | Teams | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| 1 | France (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 2 | Australia (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 6 |
| 3 | Tunisia (E) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Denmark (E) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 1 |
23:04 – Here is how Argentina ended its group stage:
| Position | Teams | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| 1 | Argentina (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 2 | Poland (Q) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Mexico (E) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 4 |
| 4 | Saudi Arabia (E) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 3 |
22:58 – Landmark for Messi:
Lionel Messi will be making his 1000th appearance today. He has played 773 games for Barcelona, 53 for Paris Saint Germain and 168 for Argentina. Tonight’s match will be his 169th.
22:52 – The business end of the tournament
Argentina made it to the Round of 16 after an early scare against Saudi Arabia. Australia too lost its opener against France. Two shining performances in the following matches saw them make the knockouts.
Preview
Argentina are hot favourites to beat Australia on Saturday in pursuit of Lionel Messi’s dream of winning a first World Cup, but they more than anyone have learned not to underestimate an underdog, especially the hard-battling Socceroos.
FIFA World Cup schedule: Full list of Round of 16 matches; timings, dates; live streaming info
The South Americans suffered one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history with their opening defeat to Saudi Arabia, but recovered their poise to swagger past Mexico and Poland into the last 16.
Australia, ranked 35 places below Argentina, have already surpassed expectations in winning twice to earn their place at Qatar’s Ahmad bin Ali Stadium this weekend for one of the biggest games in their history.
Reaching the quarter-finals would be dreamland for Australia, but for Argentina it is a bare minimum national expectation as they seek a third World Cup trophy.
Messi, on his fifth and final quest to win the World Cup and match his great predecessor Diego Maradona in the No. 10 shirt, is enjoying a harmony with fans like never before and will be relishing the chance to delight them further against Australia.
WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH
When will the Argentina vs Australia Round of 16 match kick-off?
The Argentina vs Australia Round of 16 will kick-off at 12:30AM IST, December 4.
Where will the Argentina vs Australia Round of 16 match kick-off?
The Argentina vs Australia Round of 16 match will kick-off at the Al Rayyan Stadium.
Where can you watch the Argentina vs Australia Round of 16 match in India?
The Argentina vs Australia Round of 16 match will be telecasted live on Sports18 and Sports18 HD. On Android and well as iOS, the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be live streamed on JioCinema.
Where can you watch the Argentina vs Australia Round of 16 match outside India?
Argentina – Live Stream: Telemundo
United States – TV: FOX, Telemundo; Live Stream: fuboTV, Fox Sports app, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo
Canada – TV: CTV, TSN; Live Stream: fuboTV, TSN app
United Kingdom – TV: BBC One; Live Stream: BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Website
Australia – TV: SBS; Live Stream: SBS On Demand
New Zealand – TV: Sky Sports; Live Stream: Sky Sport
Malaysia – TV: RTM, Astro; Live Stream: Astro Go
Singapore – TV: Mediacorp Channel 5; Live Stream: StarHub TV+, IPTV, Singtel TV
Hong Kong – TV: BeIN Sports, ITV; Live Stream: Now TV, ViuTV
Nigeria – SuperSport and Showmax Pro.
