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Argentina and France meet on Sunday for the FIFA 2022 World Cup final with Lionel Messi facing off against Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe. The superstar Frenchman already has one title to his name while the legendary Argentina has found the trophy elusive throughout his storied career. Who will come out on top in this battle between a pair of two-time winners to go third in the all-time list of World Cup winners? It has been billed as the last game in this tournament for Messi so can he go out with the success that he craves so much, or will his PSG teammate spoil the party and give himself a shot at starting to follow in Messi’s footsteps for Ballon d’Or success? We will find out this weekend.
“I had the privilege and pride of being able to win this trophy with my teammates in 2018,” said France captain Hugo Lloris on Saturday. “But to be honest, I am focused on the present. What happened before is the past. We want to write our own story. We want to end this in the best possible way. As long as nothing is done, the hardest part remains to be done. We must prepare for a great match, for any eventuality. Be ready to surpass ourselves, to make the effort despite the circumstances with the virus, despite the fatigue. We have to finish the job.”
“From the moment we have the support of our supporters, we know that the country is behind us,” he added. “The rest is of very little importance. We started this competition with a mission, that of going as far as possible. Very few believed in it. We will give everything to emerge victorious from this final battle. We know what Leo Messi represents in the history of our sport, but I believe that it will be above all a match between the France team and the Argentina team.
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Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Sunday, Dec. 18 | Time: 10 a.m. ET
- Location: Lusail Iconic Stadium — Lusail, Qatar
- TV: FOX, Telemundo and Universo | Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)
- Odds: Argentina +170; Draw: +200; France +180 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Featured Game | Argentina vs. France
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Team news
Argentina: Marco Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel no longer have suspension worries hanging over them although Nahuel Molina is likely to start ahead of Montiel on the right while Acuna might replace Nicolas Tagliafico on the left. Lisandro Martinez is likely to be a substitute once more while Alejandro Gomez is most likely to require a bench role too after his recent ankle issue. Messi suffered a hamstring scare in the semifinals and sat out training earlier this week but should be fine for Sunday where a start would be his 26th at a World Cup which would be an Argentine record. Angel di Maria will hope to start ahead of former PSG teammate Leandro Paredes while Paulo Dybala and Lautaro Martinez will almost certainly be used from the bench.
“They are a very well organised team, very strong defensively, aggressive on the ball carrier,” said Lloris of Argentina. “They play very well in offensive transitions, taking advantage of the mistakes of the opponent. In the history of Argentina, there has always been truly great players. There was Maradona, today Messi. There will be a lot of expectation in relation to this final on the Argentinian side. Now, I believe when you are French, to play a World Cup final, whoever the opponent is, it is a big event. Meeting Argentina at this stage makes things even better. We hope this game will go down in history for the French side.”
France: There are concerns growing that Didier Deschamps might have to do without a player or two with illness continuing to impact Les Bleus after Andrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano’s forced absences vs. Morocco. Kingsley Coman, Raphael Varane, and Ibrahima Konate have all suffered the sickness since the win over the Atlas Lions and although Rabiot and Upamecano should now be fine, Varane and Konate would be problematic as it would require a new central defensive pairing. Theo Hernandez should be fit despite a knee complaint after the Moroccan success while Aurelien Tchouameni took a blow to the hip. Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud should continue in attack aided by the in-form Antoine Griezmann and Saturday will be crucial in determining eligibility so Deschamps will be hoping that no new cases surface so close to the game. As of Saturday, Varane and Konate were at least able to rejoin their teammates and train.
“I have no more news than [what was reported] last night,” added Lloris. “You will certainly have more info by the next training session. The virus, we are never prepared for this kind of thing. We are trying to make the best of the situation we are in, quite simply. These are things for which we were not necessarily prepared, but that does not take away from the excitement we can have.
Prediction
This one is going to be tight and almost too close to call. Despite the overriding narrative suggesting that Messi’s success is meant to be, the pragmatic French approach could steal his thunder and instead leave Mbappe celebrating. Pick: Argentina 0, France 1.
