Argentina and France are tied in the World Cup final. Here’s a site-by-location breakdown ahead of Sunday’s big game.
Sunday’s World Cup final between defending champions France and Argentina, winners of last year’s Copa America, is expected to be an epic match between two of the best soccer teams on the planet.
The match at Lusail Stadium outside Doha, Qatar, has been described as a rivalry between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. It is also a game between two attacking teams with a lot of offensive weapons.
Argentina coach: ‘I hope we can win it’ Lionel Scaloni to reporters on Saturday. “It would be great. We know how to attack them.”
This bodes well for those who want to watch a high-scoring match. Still, the World Cup was very relevant. The 2014 final, when Germany defeated Argentina’s Messi, brought him just one goal. By contrast, France’s winning final in Moscow four years ago produced six goals as France beat Croatia 4-2.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of how Argentina and France stack up against each other.
World Cup Final 2022: Goalkeeper
Argentina has Emiliano Martinez in the net. A veteran who earned his first cap 10 years ago, Martinez has given up five goals in six matches in this tournament. Martinez is most vulnerable when his defense breaks down, but he was exceptionally strong in the knockout stage.
France includes goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who leads a team that also gave up five goals. Defensively, the French looked suspicious at times, but Lloris is a fantastic goalkeeper. He is looking forward to making history by becoming the first ever captain of a team to lift back-to-back World Cup titles.
If after 120 minutes the match ends in a draw and goes to penalties, Martinez is much better at penalty kicks than Lloris.
Edge: France
World Cup Final 2022: Defense
Argentina have centre-backs Cristian Romero and Nicolas Otamendi, who have focused on defending Albiceleste. On the wings are Argentina’s Nahuel Molina and Marcos Acuna. Molina and Acuna both run down the wings and help the attack, but they will need to be more careful given France’s attack and their ability to be quick in transfers.
France also have a great defense, but the flu that has plagued the team could drain their line of defence. If Ibrahima Konate and Raphael Varane, two of the sick players, are unable to play, that would leave the Didier Deschamps-led side without two of their three key centre-backs. Left-back Theo Hernandez, meanwhile, likes to play in a box-to-box style, but he could be hampered from making several attacking attacks due to Argentina’s attack.
Edge: Argentina
World Cup Final 2022: Midfield
Argentina play 4-3-3, which includes the trio of Rodrigo de Paul, Enzo Fernandez and Alexis McAllister. De Paul plays in the middle of this trio, but he often wanders around to help out in attack. This group has improved with each game in this tournament and will be ready to put a lot of pressure on the French, thanks to their work rate and passing abilities.
On the other hand, France will face a 4-3-3 led by Antonin Griezmann. It was a great tournament, especially after Deschamps moved him into a playmaking position deeper in midfield. The result was three assists for the French player.
“Griezmann has been an outstanding player for 10 years now,” said Deschamps. “Like all world-class players, he is at his best in the most important matches.”
Edge: Argentina
World Cup Final 2022: Attack
Scaloni was able to constantly rely on Messi to keep things feisty in the attacking third position. Winger Angel Di Maria is healthy again and should be back in the starting line-up in time for the final. Julian Alvarez, who stole the starting position from Lautaro Martinez, was the best young player in this tournament.
Defending champion Mbappe cooperates with Olivier Giroud, as the attacking duo collects nine goals out of the 13 goals scored by the team in the current World Cup. The French have the offense needed to win matches (we saw that in this tournament), but it remains to be seen if Argentina’s defense can stop them moving up the goalscoring list.
“Two players are under pressure to deliver a special performance in the final: Mbappe for France and Messi, more than ever, to offer something special for Argentina,” said former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who is now FIFA’s Head of Global Football Development. “Two very important players on both sides are Giroud, who was not expected to play a big role at the start of the tournament, and Álvarez, who also worked his way into the team during the tournament. Both have had a huge impact and will have an important role to play.”
Edge: even
The reality of this final is that the two teams, two-time World Cup winners, are stacked at the top. This leaves the defenses on both sides of the ball making up the difference in a game that is described as a showdown between two big offenses. It turns out that defense may be what matters most in the end.
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