Barcelona set up an El Clasico clash with Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana final after beating Real Betis 4-2 on penalties following a 2-2 draw at the King Fahd International Stadium on Thursday.

Goals from Robert Lewandowski and Nabil Fekir sent the game to extra time in Riyadh, before a wonderstrike from Fati was cancelled out by Loren Moron's cheeky backheel equaliser to force a penalty shoot-out.

Juanmi and William Carvalho saw their spot-kicks saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, allowing Pedri to clinch progress to the final.

Barca will now face Madrid on Sunday for the first time since the competition moved to a four-team format in 2019-20.

Robert Lewandowski will miss Barcelona's LaLiga trip to Atletico Madrid on Sunday after his three-game suspension was upheld by Spain's Sports Administrative Court.

The Poland striker was issued the extended ban for a gesture made towards referee Gil Manzano after being shown two yellow cards in November's 2-1 win at Osasuna.

Barcelona appealed the Spanish Football Federation's decision and Lewandowski was allowed to play in last week's 1-1 draw with Espanyol, much to the Periquitos' anger.

Head coach Xavi said on Tuesday he was hopeful the 34-year-old, who has 18 goals in 20 games this season, would also be eligible for the showdown with Atletico.

However, it was confirmed on Wednesday that Barca were unsuccessful with their latest appeal, meaning Lewandowski will miss the match at Estadio Metropolitano.

The ban does not cover Copa del Rey or Supercopa de Espana ties, so Lewandowski will also sit out the LaLiga meetings with Getafe and Girona before the end of January.

Speaking last month, Lewandowski questioned the severity of the punishment and said it would be "painful" to watch three matches from the stands.

Lewandowski also insisted the gesture that landed him in trouble was in fact aimed at Xavi, not the referee.

The former Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich star was not part of Barca's squad for Wednesday's Copa del Rey round-of-32 tie with Intercity.

"Lewandowski's absence on Sunday is a setback and it is unexpected," Xavi said after his side's 4-3 victory against the lower-tier opposition.

"We have no choice but to now obey it as we did when they told us he couldn't play against Espanyol."

Espanyol have described a decision to delay a suspension for Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski as a "flagrant injustice".

Lewandowski was dismissed for two bookable offences in Barca's final game before the World Cup break in November – a 2-1 win at Osasuna.

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) initially hit Lewandowski with an extended three-match ban due to an alleged gesture he made towards referee Jesus Gil Manzano, but his punishment was put on hold last week following a complaint to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Lewandowski was therefore able to play in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Camp Nou – an ill-tempered affair in which referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz showed 17 yellow cards, including one for Barca coach Xavi, sending off Jordi Alba and Vinicius Souza.

Despite claiming a valuable point in their bid to avoid relegation, Espanyol have challenged the eligibility of Lewandowski to play.

A statement on the club's website read: "RCD Espanyol has submitted a letter of complaint to the Royal Federation of Spanish Football (RFEF) to challenge the match against FC Barcelona for improper alignment.

"Before the start of the match, the club notified in good faith the referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz, like the RFEF itself, about the presence in the rival eleven of Robert Lewandowski, who had to serve a penalty after his expulsion for a double yellow in the previous game of the championship. 

"RCD Espanyol, as announced on the eve of the match, will use all the resources at its disposal to defend its interests and those of our fans, aware that this flagrant injustice puts the essence of our competition at risk, and that this injustice it is based on a hasty resolution with obvious legal deficiencies."

Lewandowski failed to find the net against Diego Martinez's men, though he was involved in one notable incident when Leandro Cabrera was shown a red card for appearing to stamp on the striker – though Lahoz reversed the decision following a VAR check.

Any ban for Lewandowski would represent a severe blow for Barca, with the Poland striker scoring 13 goals in 15 LaLiga appearances.

Barca visit third-tier side Intercity in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, before facing Atletico Madrid in LaLiga and taking on Real Betis in the Supercopa de Espana semi-finals.

Espanyol are furious that Robert Lewandowski could play in Saturday's derby after Barcelona secured a temporary injunction that put his three-match ban on hold.

Poland international Lewandowski was shown two yellow cards in the first half of Barca's last match before the World Cup break – a 2-1 win at Osasuna on November 8.

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) issued Lewandowski with an extended three-game punishment due to an alleged gesture made towards referee Jesus Gil Manzano after being dismissed, although the player said it had been aimed at his own coach, Xavi.

The full ban may yet apply, but for now it is on hold after "the dispute settlement court in Madrid issued a precautionary measure against the suspension imposed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)" on Friday.

Espanyol are unsurprisingly infuriated such a situation now renders Lewandowski – who has scored 13 goals in 14 LaLiga games this season – eligible to play at Camp Nou on Saturday.

Los Pericos suggested the decision threatens the integrity of the competition because the round of matches has already started, while they are bewildered why such a ruling has been given when Lewandowski's sanction had been supported by three bodies: LaLiga, the appeals committee and CAS.

Espanyol's statement read: "Espanyol finds it unusual that, 24 hours before the match against Barcelona, ​​and after it was rejected by different competent bodies (competition, appeal and CAS), a precautionary measure has been granted to a previously imposed sanction to the Barcelona player, Robert Lewandowski.

"In this sense, as an indirectly involved party, we were only able to have access to the resolution after requesting it from different bodies and not because it was communicated to us, as established by the procedural regulations.

"However, we believe that the requirements are not met to justify the precautionary measure. Specifically, the appearance of good law is particularly indefensible as there are two sanctions of different types, three unfavourable administrative resolutions and an arbitration act with a presumption of veracity that support the sanction.

"Likewise, there is talk of irreparable damage to Barcelona without assessing the irreparable damage to its rivals and the competition without giving the possibility of any recourse.

"The club considers that this last-minute decision completely conditions this matchday, which started yesterday (Thursday), and the team's preparation for this match. RCD Espanyol understands that it is a grievance and an injustice considering the precedents with other clubs.

"Despite this injustice and this unprecedented decision in the competition, our team tomorrow will compete 110 per cent to live up to the trust of our fans."

LaLiga leaders Barcelona return to action on Saturday looking to pick up where they left off before the World Cup and end 2023 on a high.

The Blaugrana won each of their last five league games prior to Qatar 2022, leaving them top of the table during the break.

They will be confident of making it six in a row this weekend.

While local derbies can be particularly difficult to predict, Barcelona's duels with Espanyol tend to go one way.

A one-sided derby

This isn't a derby that's been defined by unpredictability in recent years.

Barcelona haven't lost any of their past 24 league meetings with Espanyol (W18 D6), which is their longest run without a defeat against them in the top flight.

Their last such defeat was almost 14 years ago in February 2009 (1-2), a game that the current Barca coach Xavi played in.

Of course, that defeat was a massive shock, with former Barca player Ivan de la Pena scoring both goals as Espanyol won a league game at Camp Nou for the first time in 27 years.

Before the game, there was a whopping 42-point abyss between the two teams, with Barca top and Espanyol bottom – the latter went on to finish 10th.

But since then, Barcelona have won all 12 home games against Espanyol in LaLiga, keeping 10 clean sheets in the process.

In fact, they have won more games at home against Espanyol in LaLiga than against any other opponent (G87 W69 D9 L9).

The form guide

There is every reason to expect Barca's streak in the derby to remain intact this weekend when you take into consideration the two teams' pre-World Cup form.

Barca collected 37 points from 14 games before the season paused (W12 D1 L1), equalling their second-highest tally at this stage of a LaLiga season (also 37 points in 2010-11) and trailing only the 2012-13 and 2013-14 campaigns when they collected 40 points (W13 D1 in both).

By contrast, Espanyol have won only two of their first 14 games this term (D6 L6), equalling their lowest tally of wins at this stage of the season in the top flight (along with eight other instances).

Neither of those two victories came in the five games leading up to the season's hiatus, and Espanyol could only scrape past fourth-tier Atletico Paso 1-0 in the Copa del Rey last week thanks to an 80th-minute winner.

Xavi's miserly defence

Of course, we tend to associate Barca with attacking brilliance, and they've certainly shown signs of that this season.

But defensively they've also been sound.

Xavi's men have already kept 11 clean sheets in LaLiga this season, which is the most of all teams across the top five European leagues.

This is also Barca's biggest clean sheet tally after 14 league matches in a LaLiga season this century.

But they are not entirely bulletproof.

If Espanyol are to breach the Barca defence, their strategy may revolve around an intense start as the Blaugrana have conceded a league-high 60 per cent of their goals this season in the opening 15 minutes of matches (3/5).

Barca's Lewy boost

Espanyol will have prepared for this game confident that Robert Lewandowski's suspension would at least aid their chances of springing a surprise. 

That was until Friday, anyway, when it was revealed the Polish striker would in fact be available.

Lewandowski was sent off for two bookings against Osasuna in Barca's last pre-World Cup game, while a gesture he made while leaving the pitch earnt him an additional two-match ban.

But a "precautionary measure against the suspension imposed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport" means a final decision on the suspension has been delayed, freeing the Poland star – who has scored 13 goals in 14 league outings this term – to face Espanyol.

The task awaiting Espanyol just got even tougher, and as such the importance of Joselu increased again for Los Pericos.

The striker has been involved in 50 per cent of Espanyol's goals in LaLiga this season (8/16), with Borja Iglesias (eight) the only Spanish player to score more than his seven.

He would surely trade all of those in for a decisive impact in the derby, however, with Barca's remarkable record making them overwhelming favourites once again.

Robert Lewandowski is clear to face Espanyol in Saturday's derby after Barcelona secured a temporary injunction in a Madrid court, putting the striker's three-match ban on hold.

Poland international Lewandowski was shown two yellow cards in the first half of Barca's last match before the World Cup break – a 2-1 win at Osasuna on November 8.

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) issued Lewandowski with an extended three-game punishment due to an alleged gesture made towards referee Gil Manzano after being dismissed, although the player said it had been aimed at his own coach, Xavi.

Lewandowski has claimed the suspension is "too much for what I did", and the former Bayern Munich man said it would be "painful" to sit out three games.

With 18 goals in 19 games this season, to lose Lewandowski for three games would deny Barcelona the services of their deadliest attacking weapon. Only Erling Haaland (26) and Kylian Mbappe (20) have scored more club goals this season, among players in Europe's top five leagues.

The full ban may yet apply, but for now it is on hold, a surprise development, particularly in regard to the timing.

Barcelona said in a statement on Friday: "Lewandowski can play tomorrow against Espanyol after the dispute settlement court in Madrid issued a precautionary measure against the suspension imposed by the court of arbitration for sport."

The Espanyol game is Barcelona's first since the World Cup break, with Xavi's team having sat top of LaLiga heading into the six-week interval, two points clear of a Real Madrid side who were getting their campaign back under way against Real Valladolid on Thursday.

Xavi said: "We have been facing this week different options, taking into account that Robert was not available, but in the end it's fantastic news we will be able to have Robert, although it's not the best situation to know a day before that he's going to be able to play.

"He's surprised about timings, but I've said it plenty of times: it was an unfair suspension, three games for just touching the nose."

Jurgen Klopp hopes people "stay calm" over Darwin Nunez's mixed start at Liverpool and pointed to former player Robert Lewandowski as a reason to remain confident.

Nunez joined Liverpool in June for a fee that could eventually reach a club-record £85million, but the Uruguay international has endured an inconsistent opening to his career with the Reds.

Liverpool picked up a third consecutive league win at Aston Villa on Monday, though Nunez failed to convert any of his four big chances despite registering 1.15 xG (expected goals).

The striker came in for criticism after the game for his finishing, but Klopp urged people to remain behind the 23-year-old, and cited Lewandowski's poor start at Borussia Dortmund as an example of how players can improve.

After signing for Klopp's Dortmund side from Lech Poznan before the 2010-11 campaign, Lewandowski netted just eight times in 38 Bundesliga matches.

However, he went on to register 102 goals in 184 games under Klopp, helping them to two Bundesliga titles and the 2012-13 Champions League final before leaving for Bayern Munich in 2014.

Klopp believes Liverpool fans should keep the faith in Nunez, in the hopes that he will flourish as Lewandowski did.

"If you could just rewind to that time, [I was] sitting in press conferences and journalists really, when I started playing Lewandowski, they asked me 'why is [Lucas] Barrios not playing?'," Klopp told reporters.

"Lucas Barrios had scored 16 goals that season and was the number nine in our team, so Lewy started playing in different positions to adapt to different things, didn't like it too much. 

"The Polish journalists were not too friendly with me because he didn't play at nine, he played in a 4-2-3-1 as a 10, I thought at the time it made absolute sense to develop his game… there's a lot of similarities [with Nunez] to be honest.

"Lewy would tell the same story, we had shooting sessions where he didn't finish off one.

"We had bets all the time for 10 euros, if you score more than 10 times I pay you, if you don't you pay me, my pocket was full of money.

"It's all about staying calm, when you see the potential, stay calm. It's so difficult in the world we are living in.

"I think we all agree that the potential [of Nunez] is so obvious.

"It's not only with Lewy I had this but he is an obvious comparison, I understand that. It's just about staying calm, and I am super calm, and the team is as well by the way."

While Klopp conceded Nunez should have done better with one chance in particular against Villa, he also feels the media scrutiny has been over the top.

"Is everything right? No," he said. "I think it's clear with the big chance in the second half, if he can run a little bit at an angle then he has a free choice.

"But it's all coming. So you do it like this, the next time you do it like that.

"It's so difficult in the world we are living in. I don't want to make it personal now but because of you [the media] asking and making a big fuss of everything, then of course the supporters and social media [get carried away].

"All these kind of things, the more you can shut off that, the better it is."

Kylian Mbappe has led tributes to Pele from a plethora of football stars past and present following his death on Thursday, with the France forward saluting the late Brazil forward and a legacy that "will never be forgotten".

The three-time World Cup winner passed away aged 82 following a battle with colon cancer, sending the football and wider sporting world into mourning.

Pele, a 77-goal Selecao star who remains one of the game's all-time greats, was the only teenager to score in a World Cup final until Mbappe did so at Russia 2018 four years ago.

Now, the 23-year-old has paid his respects to the 'king of football', highlighting his achievements as having helped to define the sport.

"The king of football has left us, but his legacy will never be forgotten," Mbappe wrote on Twitter.

Mbappe's PSG team-mate and Spain international Sergio Ramos also offered his tribute, adding: "To say he was a legend is an understatement. Football will always remember you."

Barcelona and Poland forward Robert Lewandowski said "heaven has a new star" in his post reflecting upon Pele's legacy, a sentiment shared by former Germany international Mesut Ozil.

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland argued that "everything you see any player [do], Pele did it first", while Wales forward Gareth Bale suggested the Brazilian was "the reason so many of us love football".

Former England international and 1986 World Cup Golden Boot winner Gary Lineker called him "the most divine of footballers and joyous of men", adding that Pele has secured "footballing immortality".

Robert Lewandowski will find it "painful" watching Barcelona's next three games from the stands after his suspension for an incident against Osasuna last month was upheld.

Poland international Lewandowski was shown two yellow cards in the first half of Barca's last match before the World Cup break – a 2-1 win at El Sadar on November 8.

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) issued Lewandowski with an extended three-game ban for an alleged gesture made towards referee Gil Manzano after being dismissed.

It was announced on Friday that Barca were unsuccessful with their latest appeal against the suspension, and Lewandowski has questioned the severity of the punishment.

"It's difficult because I feel that three games is too much for what I did, that's for sure," he told Sport. "It's painful not to be able to play three games because of that."

Former Bayern Munich striker Lewandowski insists the gesture that landed him in trouble was in fact aimed at head coach Xavi.

"Nothing happened with the ref," Lewandowski said. "The reason I got three matches was nothing to do with the referee, it was to do with me and the coach. That's all I can say.

"One or two weeks before, I had a chat with Xavi, and he told me that I had to watch out if the referee gave me a yellow card.

"That was just a gesture to express he couldn't understand what was going on. We had talked about it, and it was something between Xavi and me. I didn't understand anything."

Lewandowski has 18 goals in 19 games this season – only Kylian Mbappe (19) and Erling Haaland (24) have scored more among players from Europe's top five leagues.

The 34-year-old has continued his prolific goalscoring form in a new country and is hopeful of adding to his trophy collection during his time in Catalonia.

"I will stay at Barcelona as long as I am fit and hungry for titles," he said. "We have to have the mentality of a champion."

Barcelona resume their LaLiga campaign with games against Espanyol and Atletico Madrid either side of facing third-tier side Intercity in the last 32 of the Copa del Rey.

Robert Lewandowski is "not scared" of playing at another World Cup, but the Poland captain acknowledged his side would need a change in tactics.

The forward saw his side beaten 3-1 by France in their last-16 tie, bowing out of Qatar 2022 after a frustrating campaign that saw them struggle in the group stages too.

Having come to this tournament without a World Cup goal in his career, Lewandowski added his second goal of the tournament from the penalty spot late on against Les Bleus.

But when asked if he would still be in the frame to feature at the 2026 edition in just under four years – by which time he will be 37 years old – the veteran Barcelona frontman would not commit.

"Physically, I'm not scared of it," he said. "But there are so many things to manage first. It's hard to say now. Athletically, it doesn't scare me, but there are still a lot of uncertainties."

Lewandowski hinted a shift away from the defence-orientated performances Poland displayed in Qatar may be needed.

"It's still a long way to go and, obviously, you need to enjoy the game," he said. "If we attack, try to attack, it's a bit different. But if we play defensively, there's no joy."

Poland were always the underdogs against a France team who, even with several key stars missing through injury, have emerged among the favourites to land the title they won four years ago.

Lewandowski concedes his side were always going to have a struggle on their hands, adding: "It is a difficult match, to play against France.

"We fought and we tried to do our best. We played very, very well in the first half, with a few chances. Maybe if we scored the first goal, it would have been a different game.

"Unfortunately, we conceded a goal in the last minute of the first half. It's always difficult to come back from that. We reacted well, we pushed to come back. We can be proud because we tried everything."

Poland head coach Czeslaw Michniewicz can understand frustration around Robert Lewandowski's role after the team's World Cup exit.

A 3-1 defeat to France in the round of 16 on Sunday meant the end for Poland in Qatar, who went down to goals from Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappe, who scored twice. Lewandowski netted a consolation penalty in stoppage time at Al Thumama Stadium.

This was Poland's first match in the knockout stage of a World Cup since 1986, when they lost 4-0 to Brazil in the round of 16.

Speaking at a press conference after the defeat, Michniewicz accentuated the positive of his team reaching the last-16 stage for the first time in 36 years, even though he was disappointed by the result.

"Unfortunately, this tournament is over for us. After 36 years, we reached the knockout stage but faced the current world champions. Congratulations to France," he said.

"We had good situations at 0-0 and I think many things changed before the break with [Giroud's 44th-minute] goal, the French became calmer and we became nervous.

"We knew we could still recover, we made some changes on the hour, another forward came on [Arkadiusz Milik] and had moments where we could score. [But then] Mbappe scored fantastically and not even Wojciech [Szczesny] could help us on this occasion, even though he had an excellent tournament.

"After some weeks and months I think we will be able to be look back and appreciate that we achieved something here we have not done in 36 years."

Michniewicz would not speak on his own future, with his contract reportedly up at the end of the tournament, and was also asked about 34-year-old Lewandowski, who scored his first two World Cup goals in Qatar but largely cut an isolated figure during Poland's campaign.

"He will decide his future himself," the coach said. "Looking at the way he is playing, I think he will be captain for years. Let's see if he'll play at the next World Cup.

"Expectations are always huge and the same is for Lewandowski. His situation is difficult. The style of Portugal or France is more beneficial for the forwards. We have a different style, we have some limitations and need to focus on others and close the gap of levels against [Lionel] Messi, Mbappe and other strikers."

He added of the Barcelona forward: "It is a difficult situation for Lewandowski, but I still think he will always score for the national team."

Mbappe was in electric form, becoming the youngest player to reach five knockout stage goals at the World Cup since Pele in 1958, and Michniewicz heaped praise on the rapid attacker.

"You don't have to be a coach to know what the biggest strength of France is, we always wanted to have two players on [Ousmane] Dembele and Mbappe," the Poland boss said.

"Giroud is so smart in the penalty area that he so often scores from the middle of the goal after work from the wingers. We were ready for that, but no coach has a recipe to stop Mbappe in the form he is in.

"A fantastic player, he harmed us today. I think he will be the one to take over as the best in the world for many years."

Olivier Giroud scored his 52nd goal for France to become his country’s all-time top scorer and Kylian Mbappe added two more as they beat Poland 3-1 in the World Cup round of 16 on Sunday.

Giroud's 44th-minute strike at Al Thumama Stadium put him ahead of fellow former Arsenal and Les Bleus forward Thierry Henry for France.

Mbappe doubled the advantage for Didier Deschamps' men and added another before full-time to move two goals clear as the tournament's top scorer in Qatar.

Poland had earlier put up a fight against the reigning world champions and scored a last-kick consolation after Robert Lewandoski converted a retaken penalty.

A bright start from France was low on clear chances, though Giroud should have had his goal earlier but could not divert Ousmane Dembele's low cross from the right into the net.

Poland had opportunities of their own in the first half and were somehow denied in the 38th minute when Bartosz Bereszynski's cut-back from the left found Piotr Zielinski, who hit his shot straight at Hugo Lloris, before his follow-up was also blocked and then Jakub Kaminski saw his effort stopped by Raphael Varane.

Giroud had his moment just before the break when some neat passing around the box led to Mbappe playing a quick pass into the striker, who finished well past former Arsenal team-mate Wojciech Szczesny.

The 36-year-old had the ball in the net again just before the hour with a spectacular overhead kick, but the whistle had already gone for a foul on Szczesny.

Mbappe struck with 16 minutes remaining to ultimately seal the win, with nice work again from Giroud leading to Dembele finding Mbappe to the left of the penalty area, before the Paris Saint-Germain star curled the ball high past Szczesny into the near post.

The Golden Boot leader put the game beyond doubt in stoppage time, again receiving the ball to the left of the penalty area before placing it expertly into the top-right corner of the net.

Poland were awarded a last-minute penalty after a VAR check for handball against Dayot Upamecano, and despite seeing his first effort saved by Hugo Lloris, Lewandowski sent the goalkeeper the wrong way with his second attempt after Lloris was found to be off his line for the first.

Czeslaw Michniewicz defended Robert Lewandowski's display after Poland inched into the World Cup's last 16 despite losing to Argentina in Wednesday's dramatic Group C finale.

Goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez ensured Argentina recovered from Lionel Messi's first-half penalty miss to top Group C, leaving Poland glancing nervously at Mexico's fixture against Saudi Arabia.

Poland were set to beat Mexico to second place due to their disciplinary record for much of the second half, but Saudi Arabia's late consolation in a 2-1 defeat ensured El Tri exited the tournament on goal difference.

Despite Poland advancing from their World Cup group for the first time since 1986, Lewandowski was criticised after failing to record a single shot in the match, but Michniewicz believes he was hamstrung by a lack of service.

"He was very much involved and committed, I'm not attacking anyone from our team, but we didn't help him," Michniewicz said.

"If our team would have had the higher percentage of possession, if Messi played with us and Robert with them, I'm convinced Robert scores five.

"Robert needs conditions, he needs to be assisted, and he was acting in our half. There were so many players covering him. 

"He's a great player and there were several one on ones. Messi didn't score, did he? That's all. 

"I think we're expecting Robert to score. He wanted to but we didn't have the opportunity for that."

Before Salem Al Dawsari reduced the arrears for Saudi Arabia, Poland held a narrow disciplinary advantage over Mexico – picking up five yellow cards across their group games to El Tri's seven.

Asked whether he told his team to concentrate on avoiding bookings late on, Michniewicz added: "I said to avoid stupid cards. 

"We were also discussing it on the bench, we were afraid one of the players would get a card and then we wouldn't go through. 

"Cards from the bench weren't going to count, we were told, but we were doing everything possible to avoid provocation."

While Poland failed to record a shot on target during a meek performance, Michniewicz was visibly irked by criticism of his side, choosing to relish their qualification after failed group-stage campaigns in 2002, 2006 and 2018.

"We got promoted after so many years, we played this difficult group. Let's enjoy. We still have until Sunday to criticise," he said. "Were you watching the match? What can I say? We've lost, it wasn't nice football, but it's bittersweet."

Eager to call time on his media duties, Michniewicz added: "It's really late, the prime minister is calling and I can't answer!"

Poland will now face world champions France for a quarter-final spot at the Al Thumama Stadium on Sunday, while Argentina will take on Australia on Saturday.

After just a pair of games each, it has already been an up and down World Cup for two of the best players on the planet.

Poland's Robert Lewandowski was the villain on matchday one as he saw a tame penalty saved in the 0-0 draw with Mexico, before redemption as he claimed his first ever World Cup goal in the 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia.

Lionel Messi scored his penalty in Argentina's first game, though was unable to stop his team from suffering a humiliating 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia, but then his exquisite strike set La Albiceleste on their way to a 2-0 win against Mexico.

These two superstars will surely be front and centre when they clash in their final game of Group C on Wednesday.

Victory for either will confirm their passage to the knockout stage, with a draw also good enough for the Poles.

A defeat would eliminate Argentina, with a draw leaving them sweating on the outcome of Saudi Arabia v Mexico.

History could be on their side, though, with their last meeting at a World Cup coming in 1978, where Argentina won 2-0 before going on to lift the trophy for the first time (Poland won their only other World Cup clash 3-2 in 1974).

Lionel Scaloni's men will have their work cut out though, with Poland having kept a clean sheet in each of their last three World Cup games, including both in Qatar so far despite facing 27 shots (nine on target).

Poland are looking to qualify from their World Cup group for the first time since the 1986 tournament under Antoni Piechniczek, and they last went unbeaten in all three matches in their first round group in 1982.

Following his match-winning performance against Mexico, Messi said: "Another World Cup started for us today... We can't give up now; we have finals from this point on and can't make a mistake."

Poland coach Czeslaw Michniewicz said after Lewandowski's maiden World Cup strike "one player will not win the match alone".

He could be right, but if ever there were a contest to prove whether he is, it might just be this one.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Poland – Robert Lewandowski

Lewandowski (50) was the player with most goals scored among players in the top five European leagues in all competitions last season, ahead of Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema (44).

The Barcelona striker cut a frustrated figure against Mexico, but was key in their win against Saudi Arabia, grabbing a goal and an assist.

Lewandowski is the only Polish player to have attempted more than two shots so far (seven), while no team-mate has created more chances than his three, level with Piotr Zielinski.

Argentina – Lionel Messi

Despite people daring to suggest Messi's powers are waning, he remains his country's talisman.

The 35-year-old has scored in six successive appearances for Argentina in all competitions, his joint-longest scoring run for his national side (also six between November 2011 and September 2012), while he now has as many World Cup goals as Diego Maradona (eight), with only Gabriel Batistuta (10) netting more for Argentina at the tournament overall.

PREDICTION

Despite Poland leading the way in Group C, Opta make Argentina favourites for this one, with Scaloni's side having a 64.8 per cent chance of winning at Stadium 974.

Poland have just a 13.8 per cent chance of victory, but they will also be satisfied with a draw, which has a 21.4 per cent chance of occurring.

Robert Lewandowski broke his World Cup duck on Saturday and explained his emotional celebration was due to the possibility of this being his last finals.

This is only Lewandowski's second World Cup with Poland, but he is now 34 years old and did not score a single goal at Russia 2018.

That barren run continued in the opening match against Mexico, in which the Barcelona forward saw a penalty saved.

But Lewandowski assisted Piotr Zielinski's strike against Saudi Arabia and grabbed the second himself in a vital 2-0 win to move Poland top of Group C.

The former Bayern Munich man was clearly overcome with emotion as he embraced his team-mates.

"The older I get, the more emotional I get," Lewandowski said. "I'm aware when it comes to the World Cup, it might be my last World Cup."

He added: "When you play for the national squad, you have to focus on the results, but some per cent of my identity also wanted me to have good statistics.

"I always wanted to score at the World Cup, and this dream came true."

Poland coach Czeslaw Michniewicz said of Lewandowski's emotion: "I was not surprised, because I know how deeply he lived the last match. The whole team supported him a lot.

"We are very happy together with him, just as we were very sad together with him after the penalty."

Michniewicz added "one player will not win the match alone", but that was an assessment Herve Renard disagreed with, as the Saudi Arabia coach attributed Poland's victory to Wojciech Szczesny.

A penalty save from Salem Al Dawsari at 1-0 kept Poland in front in a game Saudi Arabia controlled for long periods.

Despite the result, Renard is not giving up hope, saying: "We are still alive, so we'll play until the last second of our World Cup. If that's next time or another time, we won't give up."

Saudi Arabia are second in the pool, a point behind Poland, ahead of Argentina playing Mexico later on Saturday.

"I hope [the Saudi fans] won't give up," Renard said. "When you are fans, you need to support your team when it's a fantastic day. But you also need to support your team to make history in the third game. I would like to see one more time a green stadium."