Argentina v France: Les Bleus hope to make history and spoil Messi’s last dance
Tomorrow’s World Cup final has been the subject of much grandeur.
But, it is impossible to ignore the fact that history will be made.
How will Argentina line up?
Argentina come into the game fresh from an impressive 3-0 win over Croatia in their semi-final.
The team choked Croatia’s grip in midfield. They slowly but surely reduced Luka Modric to a peripheral figure who dropped deeper and deeper before pushing higher and higher in a failed bid to assert some influence on the game.
Heading into Sunday’s final there has been plenty of talk about the team ‘doing it for Messi’. His supporting cast’s willingness to get stuck into whatever game unfolds before them has been mightily impressive.
Whether Saturday’s match turns into a dog-fight or a tactical stalemate, Argentina will rise to the occasion.
They have wing-backs Marcos Acuña and Gonzalo Montiel back from suspension after picking up yellow cards in their feisty shoutout win against the Dutch. They are, however, sweating on the fitness of Papu Gomez and Ángel Di María.
Nicolás Otamendi should retain his starting berth in defence but if France again remove Olivier Giroud before the end of the game for a more mobile forward, Lisandro Martínez is likely to come off the bench.
Julian Alvaréz is expected to start up front once more while Lautauro Martínez will be asked to make an impact from the bench.
France’s strength in depth a surprise weapon?
In September Didier Deschamps had no fewer than 13 injuries in his first-choice squad. Such is the form of Olivier Giroud that Karim Benzema, the current Ballon D’Or holder, has barely been missed.
The absences of key personal from 2018 such as Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté have also been of scant concern.
Youssoff Fofana slotted in seamlessly for Adrian Rabiot against Morocco. The latter is expected to return alongside the impressive Aurélien Tchouaméni in midfield behind Antoine Griezmann. Few players have been more impressive at this tournament than France’s midfielders.
Despite Marcus Thuram’s introduction on the hour-mark midweek, Giroud will start up front for Les Bleus. An obvious weakness in Argentina’s defence is a lack of height and the A.C. Milan forward has enjoyed a stellar tournament so far. He became France’s all-time leading goalscorer and is only one goal behind Messi and Kylian Mbappé in the Golden Boot race.
France may be concerned that Mbappé has had a quiet couple of games. Kyle Walker and Achraf Hakimi exposed any flaws the PSG man has by matching him for pace. Whether he faces Montiel or Nahuel Molina, Mbappé should find more joy on Saturday.
History either way
History stands to be made for the winner of this game regardless but the cherry on top will be extra sweet.
A victory for Argentina might finally allow Messi to step out of the shadow of Diego Maradona in the eyes of many Argentinians.
The late Maradona won the hearts and minds of Argentines with his character and his feet. Messi’s introversion and affiliation to Spain has made it harder for him to ingratiate himself. A third gold star on their kit would help change that.
Meanwhile, the best-player-in-the-world-in-waiting Mbappé will be bidding to help his side become only the third team to retain the World Cup and the first to do so in 60 years.
Sit back and enjoy the show.
