World Cup 2022 Group C Team Guides: Poland

Argentina is the favorite to win this group, so the real narrative is, who comes in second? Mexico and Poland will likely battle for that spot, though Saudi Arabia is no slouch as an opponent.

Robert Lewandowski leads a strong Poland side, while El Tri has the potential to go far in the tournament, especially with a rowdy fan base in tow. Meanwhile, the Saudis have confidence heading into Qatar after winning their Asian qualifying group and tying the United States in a September friendly — can they pull off a group stage upset?

Three things to know about Poland:

Three Things You Need To Know About Poland

Alexi Lalas gives the three things you need to know about Poland ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

Coach: Czeslaw Michniewicz

Highest finish: Third place (1974, 1982)

2018 finish: Group stage

FOX Bet odds: +20000

Key players: Robert Lewandowski, Piotr Zieliński, Kamil Glik

What we’re excited to watch: Lewandowski has scored everywhere he has played, except in a World Cup. As Poland’s all-time leading scorer – 74 goals in 134 caps – he should be able to find the back of the net.

What success looks like: Getting out of the group.

Achilles heel: Wojciech Szczesny, the experienced starting goalkeeper, has been dealing with injuries that have limited his playing time with Juventus.

X-Factor: Can Lewandowski lead Poland to the knockout round for the first time since 1986?

Group C Preview: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Poland

Alexi Lalas and David Mosse break down Group C of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Goalkeepers: Wojciech Szczesny, Bartlomiej Dragowski, Lukasz Skorupski

Defenders: Jan Bednarek, Kamil Glik, Robert Gumny, Artur Jedrzejczyk, Jakub Kiwior, Mateusz Wieteska, Bartosz Bereszynski, Matty Cash, Nicola Zalewski

Midfielders: Krystian Bielik, Przemyslaw Frankowski, Kamil Grosicki, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Jakub Kaminski, Michal Skoras, Damian Szymanski, Sebastian Szymanski, Piotr Zielinski, Szymon Zurkowski

Forwards: Robert Lewandowski, Arkadiusz Milik, Krzysztof Piatek, Karol Swiderski

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.