The World Cup has seen 63 games played over the past 28 days and it’s all be building up to this: Argentina vs France in the final at the Lusail Stadium.
Lionel Messi is bidding to win the trophy for the first time in his illustrious career following heartbreak against Germany in the 2014 final at the Maracana in Brazil. Can Lionel Scaloni’s side get past the defending champions to win their first World Cup since Diego Maradona inspired them to glory in 1986?
Bidding to stop them is Didier Deschamps’ hugely experienced French side, who triumphed four years ago against Croatia in the 2018 World Cup final in Russia. France have beaten Poland, England and Morocco to reach successive finals and will be full of confidence.
France appear to have brushed off worries over illness, which has dominated the build-up over the past few days, with Dayot Upamecano, Adrien Rabiot and Kingsley Coman expected to be fit following a bout of flu.
Didier Deschamps, eyeing a second World Cup, has been surverying his surroundings alongside some of his staff.
He’s already become part of the exclusive group to win the World Cup as a player and a coach.
He said on ITV: “I know there’s talk about Messi but you have to go and produce that’s the bottom line. You need a few breaks and a couple of frights – like Argentina got – to get a reaction but I don’t think for one second a player can sit back and think ‘this is meant to be’. The Argentina supporters might be looking at it and thinking but France fans will be thinking the same, can they win World Cup’s back-to-back? It’s on the line to both teams.”
We’ve only ever seen him in a Barcelona, Argentina or a PSG shirt
The Lusail Stadium only has a smattering of fans inside currently, but will be rammed within the hour.
France XI
Lloris, Kounde, Upamecano, Varane, T Hernandez, Rabiot, Tchouameni, Griezmann, Dembele, Giroud, Mbappe
Argentina’s team
Martínez, Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Acuña, Di María, De Paul, Fernández, Mac Allister, Messi, Álvarez.
