Lionel Messi’s Argentina Go Head To Head With Les Bleus In 2022 World Cup Final
It’s time for the World Cup final! Let’s take a look at Argentina and France in order to predict the outcome of the much-anticipated game.
Semifinals Recap
With a 3-0 victory over Croatia, driven by Lionel Messi, La Albiceleste assured their place in the championship game.
In the following game, France defeated Morocco to put an end to their World Cup fairytale. Theo Hernandez gave France the lead early on, and Randal Kolo Muani added a second to make it 2-0.
This contest is a rematch of their Round of 16 encounter from last year, when Kylian Mbappe was the star and France won 4-3 to advance to the title game in Moscow.
In Lusail, it will be all or nothing as Messi attempts to win the World Cup one more time and Mbappe works to retain his title.
Argentina vs. France Past Meetings
In 1930, 1978, and 2018, Argentina and France played each other in a World Cup match.
Argentina prevailed in their first two matches, which took place in the group stages in 1930 and 1978, but France’s victory in Russia marked their first meeting in the knockout stages.
Match Preview
Argentina enjoyed a significant advantage over France in World Cup meetings going into their 2018 match, but the possibility of knockout football transformed the equation.
The two sides have met 12 times overall in their respective histories, with six Argentina wins, three draws, and three victory for Les Bleus.
With two goals in that match, Mbappe now leads all scorers in World Cup matches between the two teams. Benjamin Pavard and Antoine Griezmann also scored in 2018, with the former scoring the tournament’s winning goal.
The oddsmakers rate this tie as being extremely close to call, as one might anticipate. Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, is +185 (24/13) and France is +180 (9/5). That’s close. The odds are +215 (28/13) for a draw.
In essence, nobody knows. Argentina gradually developed and reached their peak as the tournament progressed, while France consistently displayed class to advance to the championship game. Messi versus Mbappé, Europe versus South America, and the present versus the future.
The majority of the competition has featured a reliable back line for Argentina. In order to bounce back from a devastating loss to Saudi Arabia at the opening of Group C, the South American team recorded two clean sheets.
In the knockout round’s long stretches of defense, Argentina played well. Despite conceding an own goal to Australia, it managed to hold the Netherlands off for the entire 80 minutes. On Tuesday, Croatia did not accomplish anything in the last third.
However, the Argentinian defense may ultimately decide the outcome. Messi is the game-changer in the Argentina attack, and he will be expected to dazzle once more on Sunday.
Throughout the tournament, France’s back line has been fragile at times. In their semifinal victory over Morocco on Wednesday, France was fortunate not to give up.
Because Mbappé, Olivier Giroud, and the company have scored several goals in each game the first squad has started, France has gotten away with the defensive miscues.
The Argentina defense is a source of worry for France. Nicolás Otamendi and company may be able to contain Mbappé and Giroud.
Compared to his first three starts in Qatar, Mbappé’s performance in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds was less impressive.To contain the 23-year-old, Argentina can overload one flank and dedicate an additional defender to Mbappé.
Losing some of Mbappé’s chance creation could affect Les Bleus, but France still has other talents, like Antoine Griezmann, that can dismantle Argentina. The only player in Qatar with more than 20 opportunities created is Griezmann.
The depth of the strike is as uniform as it can be. In Giroud and Alvarez, each team has an effective genuine striker to back its star. The Golden Boot winner will be chosen based on the performances of Messi, Mbappé, Giroud, and Alvarez. With five goals each, Messi and Mbappé are in the lead. Giroud and lvarez are second with four goals each.
The defensive play will determine the outcome if that evenly matched clash is carried over to the field on Sunday, and that is where Argentina holds the advantage based on its performance over the course of six games.
My Prediction
Have I got to? Really? I don’t want to bring bad luck to my Argentine squad, but it’s Messi versus Mbappé. Argentina may have had more difficulties in the competition and took longer to advance to the elite level they are now at, but the team’s cohesiveness is at an all-time high and they have already won the Copa América.
The World Cup victory in 2018 belongs to France, nevertheless. Despite the fact that the match against Morocco was their first clean sheet, they have looked hot all tournament.
After 120 minutes and as many penalties as necessary until each player and substitute scores and each manager is forced to take one, I’ll bet on a draw.
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