The final is set for kick-off at the Lusail on Sunday. The defending champions France takes on the prolific Argentina.
But the drama is not only set for the field but also happening off it as well.
Injury Updates:
Varane and Konate both were diagnosed with a virus attack just 48 hours prior to the final kick-off. While Messi was not seen training with the team on Thursday, completing his work indoors.
In total Le Bleus had 5 players missing from their training grounds. Varane, Ibrahima Konate, Kingsley Coman, Theo Hernandez, and Tchouameni.
A surprise entry from Karim Benzema is expected as he wasn’t dropped initially from the squad following his injury before the tournament.
La Albiceleste also did not feature first-team players but rather had substitutes and benched players train on Thursday.
Lautaro Martinez and Papu Gomez did some gym work. Hope over the return of Di Maria is plausible for the final.
Both Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel will be available following their suspensions.
Tactical Analysis:
Argentina will keep looking to bolster their magical performance by facilitating Lionel Messi.
After their defeat against the Saudis, their French manager Herve Renard recalled stopping Rodrigo De Paul was the key aspect of the game.
But since the defeat, Argentina seems to be improving game by game. Defeating seemingly tougher opponents in the Netherlands, Poland, and Croatia.
France on the other hand didn’t seem to improve all that much because they were already playing at their top level.
In a more Real Madrid fashion, the French don’t need all that much possession to take the game in their favor. In fact, the Le Bleus do not keep possession in most matches.
They are happy to sit back and defend until they get possession. With a speedster in Kylian Mbappe, it is almost too easy for them sometimes to go on the offense.
⚠️ | QUICK STAT
France when held under 45% possession at the #FIFAWorldCup under Didier Deschamps:
🇫🇷 5–2 🇨🇭 ('14, 41%)
🇫🇷 1–0 🇵🇪 ('18, 43%)
🇫🇷 4–3 🇦🇷 ('18, 39%)
🇫🇷 1–0 🇧🇪 ('18, 36%)
🇫🇷 4–2 🇭🇷 ('18, 34%)
🇫🇷 2–1 🏴 ('22, 43%)
🇫🇷 2–0 🇲🇦 ('22, 39%)No dominance, no problem. 😎 pic.twitter.com/fziQumM2IJ
— Sofascore (@SofascoreINT) December 14, 2022
While “Donatello” (Mbappe) is very bad at defending, the cause is helped more by the involvement of Theo Hernandez in helping Mbappe break in from the left. The duo turned out to be a revelation in this campaign.
Also using Antione Griezmann as the midfielder heavily boosted their chances. As he is possibly the most versatile in the French lineup, only time and Deschamps can say what his use in the final match could be.
Predicted Argentina Lineup:
Emi Martinez, Montiel, Acuna, Lisandro Martinez, Otamendi, De Paul, Paredes, Mac Allister, Di Maria, Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez.
Predicted France Lineup:
Hugo Lloris, Theo Hernandez, Benjamin Pavard, Upamecano, Jules Kounde, Fofana, Adrien Rabiot, Camavinga, Griezmann, Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele
