IT'S time for Mexico to start their World Cup odyssey again – the only nation on the planet that seems to be able to guarantee a four-game tournament.
The Mexicans entertain Poland in a Group C clash which is hugely important for both nations with heavily-backed Argentina expected to win the group and the dangerous Dutch in too.
But while the Poles have made it to their second Finals in a row, having missed the previous two, they are up against a team with a remarkably consistent record.
One of the constants in international football is that Mexico will qualify for the Finals, cruise through their groups by playing some eye-catchingly exciting football and then flop in the very next game.
Since being banned from the 1990 World Cup foir deliberately playing overage players at an Under 20 tournament, Mexico have qualified seven times in a row, made it through the groups stages…and being knocked out in the Round of 16 every single time.
It;'s a remarkable record and Gerardo Martino will be desperate to finally take the next step.
Mexico finished in second place in their group behind Canada and have had a mixed bag of friendly results, including losing to Sweden in their last run-out, who Poland beat to qualify for the tournament in the play-offs.
The Poles' World Cup send-off saw them beat Chile in Warsaw.
How the bookies view it
Poland are the narrowest of favourites with Highbet – they are 41/25 compared with Mexico's 171/100 with the draw 193/100.
Recent head to heads
The nations last met in a friendly five years ago which Mexico won 1-0. They actually played in the 1978 World Cup and the Poles beat the Mexicans 3-1 in Argentina.
Players to watch
Poland captain and talisman Robert Lewandowski is 34 but shows no signs of slowing down after an impressive start to his stint in Barcelona. He has an incredible 76 goals in 134 appearances for his country and is an attractive 7/4 to score anytime.
Wolves striker Raul Jiménez is on 95 caps and would love to reach the century in Qatar. He has 29 goals for his country and is 11/4 to score anytime.
Anything else catch the eye?
This is another game with high stakes and the winner could well take a giant step into the next stage, but the Mexicans might just have the edge here.
The Poles are very dependent on Lewandowski and they have produced a few stinkers this year including a 6-1 hammering in Belgium and defeats to Belgium again and the Netherlands at home.
Conditions are likely to suit the Mexicans too who are absolute specialists in doing what it takes to qualify. They tend to start tournaments off in a bang before inexplicably faltering in the next stage.
They have a vastly experienced squad and reports suggest they will be backed by up to 60,000 passionate fans.
It may be enough to push them over the line but stopping Lewandowski is something that better teams than them have tried and failed to do, so he could well open his account.
This World Cup match between Mexico and Poland will be played on Nov 22, 2022 and kick off at 16:00. Check below for our tipsters best Mexico vs Poland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
In December 2020 we sadly 
Under 2.5 & Poland double chance at evens, the only reasonable bet for this game