Mexico's World Cup draw: Can El Tri handle Messi, Lewandowski and finally reach quarterfinals?

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The groups for the World Cup are set. Mexico was placed into Group C with Argentina, Poland and Saudi Arabia.

Do Mexico have a chance to get out of the group stage? Will manager Tata and his men reach the mythical quinto partido and get to a quarterfinals in a World Cup not on home soil?

Group C and El Tri's opponents are what we are going to dive into.

- Mexico drawn against Messi, Argentina | Bracket and fixtures

- How the World Cup draw played out

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What to expect for Mexico in the group stage

Poland could make or break Mexico. Argentina is the favorite to win the title, leaving Mexico or Poland to fight for second place.

One of El Tri's most daunting challenges in the group stage will be an effort to silence Robert Lewandowski who is arguably the best strikers in the world. Poland entered the tournament through the play-offs because they were unable to top their qualification group. This team could be a work-in-progress if there is a change in management before the playoffs.

Mexico will play Lionel Messi in their second game against Argentina, after surviving a battle against a Ballon d'Or contender. Argentina will be expected to lead Group C and El Tri will be looking for revenge after being knocked out of the 2010 and 2006 editions.

Saudi Arabia will be Herve Renard's last. Saudi Arabia topped their group with seven wins and two draws in the final round of the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) final qualification round, making them the easiest opponent for Mexico. The French manager is well-versed in helping the less fancied teams in the World Cup after leading Morocco to an impressive 2-2 draw with Spain and a narrow 1-0 loss to Portugal in the last edition of the tournament.

Where Mexico should finish

Second place is within reach. The battle against Poland in their World Cup opener will probably define their position in the table. Mexico's most talented players should still be able to go toe-to-toe with the European squad despite the fact that nobody within El Tri's setup is at the level of a Lewandowski.

Things would be more difficult if the first game was a draw or a loss. Poland will play an Argentina side that might take their foot off the gas after a couple of victories over Saudi Arabia and Mexico. Mexico will need to get off to a good start against Poland in order to make it to the knockout round.

El Tri have shown in the past that they are more than their parts on the biggest stage, and with plenty of veterans within their roster.

Can El Tri reach the "quinto partido" or go even further in 2022?

The quinto partido is a mythical goal for Mexican men's soccer. Seven previous World Cup appearances and seven consecutive exits in the round of 16 has turned into a near-obsessive objective to reach the fifth game.

There is a lot to like about the team that contains elite players such as Sevilla's Jesus, Porto'sTecatito, and Napoli's Hirving. When it comes to World Cup performances, Club America's Guillermo Ochoa has become a living highlight reel, and he has shown no signs of slowing down at 36 years of age.

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Herculez Gomez thinks that Mexico fans have no reason to be optimistic.

They will take on the winners of Group D if they finish second in Group C. If they finish first in Group C, they will have an encounter with the runner-ups of Group D, which could be Tunisia or the winner of the CONMEBOL playoff.

Mexico will finally be able to make it to the quinto partido after avoiding France. Mexico hosted the World Cup in 1986 and 1970 and El Tri have only been to this position twice before. It was also unthinkable a few years back when they shocked the world with their win over Germany.

Mexico and El Tri might have had a few stumbles in their road toQatar that featured several low- scoring draws and narrow wins in qualification, but at their best they should be able to finally win the quinto partido.