Reigning champions France will face Argentina in the showpiece event of the FIFA World Cup 2022 at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday.
32 teams. After almost one month of thrilling football action, jam-packed with shocks, giant killings, and surprises, it all comes down to this. The stage is set for Argentina and France. The biggest match in the world is finally upon us.
A truly iconic World Cup final will take place this Sunday as Argentina and reigning champions France will fight for the greatest prize of all on Sunday, for what promises to be an epic battle and a thrilling game of football at the Lusail Stadium.
This World Cup has been one full of surprises, close encounters, and nail-biting moments. The typical gap between small and big teams has drastically gone down. And almost every single game has produced magical moments for the fans.
The fact that European powerhouses like Germany, Belgium, and Spain were eliminated before the quarter-finals also added to the unpredictability and drama that this tournament has offered. Moreover, the Asian and African teams have finally broken the code of European dominance at this World Cup, with Morocco notably making a remarkable run to the semi-finals.
While the World Cup has been full of surprises, it has led to a reasonably predictable final as two pre-tournament favorites, 2014 finalists Argentina and defending champions France, lock horns for the ultimate crown.
• Seven goals
• Eight cards
• Game of the tournamentThis is what happened the last time Argentina faced France at a World Cup…pic.twitter.com/SgbQk82t6C
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) December 16, 2022
France will be aiming to defend their World Cup crown. The defending champions had the worst possible preparation for the tournament, with several high-profile names, including N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Christopher Nkunku, and recent Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, being ruled out with injuries.
Despite this, Didier Deschamps’s men were fancied to go deep into the World Cup. And France now have the chance to become the first nation since Brazil to win back-to-back world titles by beating Argentina. Les Bleus have often willed their way enroute to the final, as they have rarely hit top form at this tournament. But France have certainly lived up to their reigning champions status.
As for Argentina, they have been building towards this tournament. Last summer, they beat South American arch-rival Brazil to lift the Copa America, their first silverware in 28 years. Eleven months later, La Albiceleste destroyed European champions Italy in the Finalissima at Wembley. They did not get off to the best of starts to the World Cup, suffering a historic 2-1 defeat at the hands of Saudi Arabia.
However, Argentina have come a long way since and have been improving gradually as the tournament has progressed. They hold powerful momentum with Lionel Messi on their side, and it showed as they dismantled Croatia in the semi-finals. It is increasingly looking like the script has already been written.
However, standing in La Scaloneta and Messi’s way are indomitable and fearful France, who can punish anyone even when not at their best. Much of the spotlight is bound to be on Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, the best player in the world, arguably the GOAT of GOATs, and his possible successor.
While some may portray this as a battle of an old master against a young apprentice, this is clearly not the case here, with Mbappe a big preacher of Messi’s fierce rival over the years, Ronaldo. If anything, it is a change of the guard and King vs heir to the throne.
Either way, the scriptwriters could not have come up with a better World Cup final storyline. The PSG stars have been at the forefront of their respective nations’ tournaments so far. One of them must lose, and for the romantic, the idea of seeing Messi sign off in style from international football will be a sight to behold.
Will Messi finally get the ever-elusive World Cup trophy that his legacy in the sport richly deserves? Will Mbappe, the new kid on the block, win his back-to-back World Cup toy? Or have we finally understood that football is a team sport? The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between Argentina and France.
Team News & Tactics
Argentina
#Qatar2022 🎙️ Emiliano Martínez: "Estuvimos viendo a Francia porque también nos podría haber tocado en octavos. Tiene una gran defensa y cuatro delanteros peligrosísimos".
— Selección Argentina 🇦🇷 (@Argentina) December 17, 2022
Angel Di Maria was spared in the semi-final and will almost certainly start here, replacing the extra-midfielder Leandro Paredes from the last game. Nahuel Molina will continue at right-back, while Marcos Acuna could replace Nicolas Tagliafico at left-back.
Following the Saudi shock, Scaloni has shown the ability that he can tinker and adapt his formations according to the opposition. He played a 4-3-3 against Australia and a 5-3-2 against the Netherlands, with Argentina dominating both games, save for the final 12 minutes of sheer chaos in the latter.
Scaloni, who had no senior managerial experience before taking over as La Albiceleste’s manager, switched to a 4-4-2 formation against Croatia to deal with their world-class midfield. So, it will be interesting to see which formation the Argentina head coach will opt for against France.
He will probably continue with the back-four, with Cristian Romero and Nicolas Otamendi pairing up at the heart of the defence. But whichever way he sets his side up, Messi will be the heart and soul of the team. Everyone works for Messi; there is a plan of action heavily reliant on his style of play and how he drifts in and out of the game. (Rodrigo De Paul is almost Messi’s personal bodyguard).
In turn, the diminutive playmaker provides them with special moments and confidence to become world champions with his dazzling dribbles, and legendary trademark runs. For example, if Messi drops deep to receive the ball and create, Molina charges forward like a spring to occupy the leftover space and provide width.
Midfielders Rodrigo De Paul and Alexis Mac Allister almost use it as a trigger to make dynamic movement into spaces, with the former sprinting to the back post. It is not an exaggeration to state that the 21-year-old Benfica enforcer has completely transformed Argentina’s midfield since being introduced into the starting lineup following his spectacular goal against Mexico in the group stage.
He is a one-of-a-kind midfielder who can do it all; from gutsy, snappy tackles to superb line-breaking passes from deep or a 30-yard rocket into the top bins. He can be the quintessential game-changer here. Meanwhile, Messi, an adept reader of the game, will try to find and exploit any weaknesses thanks to the helicopter view of the pitch in his mind. For all doubters, yes, he still has the ability to burst past a defender.
Di Maria is another creative reservoir, while Julian Alvarez’s pace, dribbling, and directness could prove to be the perfect solution if France sit back. Bench options Paulo Dybala, Lautaro Martinez, and Angel Correa also have the potency to turn the game on its head after coming off the bench.
Argentina, while weaker in other areas of the field, are superb defensively despite their lack of height and appear to relish defending their own goal. Almost the entire back-four and midfield defend as a solid unit and tend to not give away much or take chances in counter-attacks. This defensive resilience is backed up by their goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez, whose extraordinary confidence makes him bound to shine on big occasions.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Emiliano Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Acuna; De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Mac Allister; Di Maria, Messi, Alvarez
France
In stark contrast to the ridiculous speculation and twitter suggestions, Karim Benzema will not be returning to France duty ahead of the World Cup final. Adrien Rabiot missed the victory against Morocco with the virus circulating in the French camp but is back available for the final.
The same goes for Dayot Upamecano, who was on the bench. Both will likely come back into the starting XI, with Ibrahima Konate and Youssouf Fofana making way. But otherwise, Didier Deschamps has no reason whatsoever to change his eleven from the Morocco game.
While Les Bleus have barely gotten out of second gear, the eye test suggests they have been in control in all of their games, even when suffering and soaking up pressure. When countered, they can always turn the screw a bit tighter to come back in games and put opposition teams to the sword. And if France show up here, it could pose problems for Argentina.
Needless to say, all eyes will be on Kylian Mbappe, who announced himself to the world with that 75-yard sprint and a brace against Argentina in the 2018 World Cup and is not likely to show any mercy whatsoever on his club teammate Lionel Messi’s team, just like against his beloved friend Achraf Hakimi’s Morocco.
Morocco were piling on the pressure in the second half of the semi-final. And for a moment, it seemed possible that the Atlas Lions’ fairytale journey at the 2022 World Cup would continue. But Mbappe refused to let it happen.
𝗖𝗢𝗔𝗖𝗛 🇫🇷💙
En tant que sélectionneur, Didier Deschamps 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲́ 𝟮𝟬 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝘀 en tournoi majeur 🤯
Il représente à lui seul 𝘂𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲̀𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰̧𝗮𝗶𝘀 à la Coupe du Monde et à l’EURO 👏#FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/dUMvkbgVzY
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) December 16, 2022
He spun Hakimi, exchanged passes with Marcus Thuram, then burst through three Moroccan defenders before laying the ball on the plate for substitute Randal Kolo Muani, who scored the insurance goal for France to put the game to bed. It is impossible to defend against such a venomous and blistering pace.
Such has been Mbappe’s impact that others have had to play the supporting act, including Antoine Griezmann, who has turned into a prime playmaker for some reason. He is now France’s midfield playmaker, a creator of goals but also a tireless worker.
Once spoken about in the same league as Messi and Ronaldo, the 31-year-old is proving exactly why he was so highly rated and has arguably been the player of the tournament. Meanwhile, Olivier Giroud was nowhere near as prolific in front of goal at the last World Cup. But times change fast, and he is a clutch scorer and an absolute workhorse for France up top these days.
Elsewhere, Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot should start in the engine room as a double pivot, to provide the defensive shield to the backline and allow the front four to influence the proceedings in the attacking half of the pitch. How the duo comes out in the midfield battle against an inexperienced and aggressive Argentine midfield will have huge repercussions on the outcome of the game.
Theo Hernandez has been a bright spark for France throughout the tournament and will look to cause some trouble to the Argentine backline by making bombarding runs forward, using his pace and movement from left-back. Jules Kounde is more of a solid ball-playing option on the opposite flank and more often than not tucks in to make it a back-three when Hernandez forays forward.
Raphael Varane has played a significant role in Les Bleus’ success so far. He has been ever-present for his side and complements very well alongside a more physical and powerful defender in Upamecano, who has a tendency to make rash decisions.
Keeping Messi at bay will be one of France’s main challenges in their quest to achieve the rare feat of winning back-to-back World Cups. Mbappe might have to put his ego at home and track back, as France really struggled against Hakim Ziyech and Hakimi down his side. The opposite goes for Ousmane Dembele, who was too defensive and pinned back against Morocco.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Kounde, Varane, Upamecano, Theo Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe; Giroud
Key Stats
- Argentina will be featuring in their sixth World Cup final, with only Germany (8) having participated in more. They’ll be looking to win the trophy for a third time, alongside 1978 and 1986, but a failure to do so would see them with the joint-most World Cup final defeats in history (4, level with Germany).
- France have reached the World Cup final for the fourth time in the last seven tournaments, all since 1998 (1998, 2006, 2018, 2022). This is twice as many as any other nation during this period, which shows their sheer dominance in the recent past.
- Argentina and France will clash for the fourth time in the World Cup. La Albiceleste had won two of the previous three meetings. Overall, this will be the 13th meeting between the two in all competitions, with Les Bleus winning just three of the previous 12 (D3 L6), although the most recent was their 4-3 round of 16 wins to knock out the Argentines at the 2018 World Cup.
- France, the defending champions, are aiming to become only the third nation to win back-to-back World Cups, since Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962), snapping a long-running hoodoo.
- Having lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in their World Cup opener, Argentina could become the second side in World Cup history to lose their opening game of an edition and go on to lift the trophy, following the footsteps of Spain in 2010.
Player to Watch
Lionel Messi
Who else but Captain Fantastico? Unless Lionel Messi has mysteriously forgotten he is 35, it is perhaps not shocking to learn that he is approaching the twilight of his career. He has already declared that the final will be his last World Cup game.
That said, the diminutive wizard is showing no signs of slowing down and is ageing like fine wine. He showcased his agility and perennial ability to dance past people against Croatia, where he took perhaps the best defender at the tournament, Josko Gvardiol, to the cleaners, leaving the young Croat dumbfounded with his trickery, flair, and menace before laying it on a plate for Julian Alvarez.
Messi’s leadership skills have been questioned by some in the past, but not anymore. This is a more vicious and fierce Messi, no longer burdened by donning the Argentina jersey or leading the charge as La Albiceleste’s talisman. The former Barcelona captain has been in dazzling form at the World Cup, putting in his best performances by far despite being 35 years old.
The Argentina captain has scored five goals at the World Cup, the same amount as France talisman Mbappe. So both will be desperate to get on the scoresheet in the final with the Golden Boot in their sights. Messi has been a real threat in all of Argentina’s games, and we anticipate him to lead his side to victory on Sunday.
Prediction
Argentina 1-1 France (Argentina to win on penalties)
While everyone is thinking about Messi vs Mbappe, there are plenty of subplots to look forward to as many clubmates prepare to do battle for the bragging rights to be champions of the entire planet. Martinez vs Varane, Paredes vs Rabiot, Romero vs Lloris, and Molina vs Griezmann. And we have not yet talked about individual and tactical battles on the pitch.
All of this will provide an extra edge to a historic World Cup Final, which is set to be a fabulous football occasion. Aggression, battle-hardened mentality, and defensive resilience are the main strengths of this Argentina side. They are incredibly well coached by Lionel Scaloni and work very well together. But they are a far cry from being a superbly talented squad.
Argentina are not capable of holding onto possession and lack players with pace or one-on-one ability. And much of their attack is reliant on magic Messi producing glimpses of his undoubted brilliance. It does, however, work. To a certain extent, at least, it has deservedly brought them to the World Cup final. But can it get them past the defending champions?
France, meanwhile, can fall back on their vast tournament experience, boasting several players from the last World Cup, who certainly know how to handle their nerves on big occasions.
It is next to impossible to predict which of the two giants will come out on top. Bookies are split equally, as are predictor machines. With so many game-changers on display, individual brilliance could be the deciding factor. With an inspired Messi on La Albiceleste’s side, fueled by the notion that this is his final chance to paint a masterpiece, they are likely to get past the 90-minute mark.
Thereafter, they may have to weather the storm, with France likely to come after them in waves. Ultimately, it will boil down to penalties, and The Hard Tackle predicts the charismatic and enthused Emiliano Martinez to topple Hugo Lloris in the penalty shootout and help Argentina win the long-awaited third World Cup trophy with his heroics.
