It’s a World Cup decision! In a little while, Argentina and France will decide this Sunday, at 12h (Brasília time), the title of the World Cup in Qatar. The match will be at the Lusai stadium, the biggest in the world.
Only one of the teams will leave the field three times world soccer champion. Champion in 1998 and 2018, France wants to consolidate the most victorious generation in history by winning the second title in a row, a feat that no one has achieved since the victories of Brazil in 1958 and 1962 – before that Italy also achieved in 1934 and 1938.
On the other side is an Argentina that seeks to end a 36-year drought without lifting the most coveted trophy in football, already won in 1978 and 1986. In addition, it wants to crown Lionel Messi’s last World Cup match with the title he one of the greatest players of all time is missing.
Lionel Scaloni wasn’t afraid to change throughout the World Cup. By the way, that was one of the virtues of the coach. Varying players, options and tactical formations, Scaloni built the ideal team game by game. The tendency for the decision is for a team with three defenders, playing in a 3-5-2.
Two changes should happen in relation to the game against Croatia, in the semifinal. One of them is the return of Acuña to the first team on the left wing. He was suspended in the semi-final and gave way to Nicolas Tagliafico.
The other is the departure of midfielder Leandro Paredes for the entry of defender Lisandro Martínez, which makes the tactical design change from 4-4-2 to 3-5-2. If he chooses to return to play with a line of four in defense, Paredes will remain in the team and Lisandro Martinez will start on the bench.
On the French side, Didier Deschamps between the semifinal and the final, had to lead with an outbreak of flu in the squad of France caused concern that some of the main players were not available. Varane, Konaté, Tchouaméni, Coman and Theo Hernández did not train on Friday and turned on the alert.
On Saturday, however, all players participated in training and it seems that there are no more embezzlements for France in the big decision. Deschamps’ doubt for the final is whether to climb the defense with Upamecano, holder for almost the entire campaign, or Konaté, who replaced him in the semifinal and did well.
In the last training session, the coach also tested Marcus Thuram in place of Giroud, as in the final stretch of the victory over Morocco, but it is unlikely that the final will start without the greatest scorer in the history of the selection.
strong attacks
Combined, France and Argentina’s attacks have scored 25 goals in Qatar. There are 13 for Les Bleus and 12 for Albiceleste, with the South Americans scoring in all six matches played, while the Europeans only failed once, against Tunisia, when they used the reserve team.
An interesting bet taking into account this retrospect is that both teams score and the game will have more than two goals in all.
Do you think the pressure of the final could affect the attacks and make goalkeepers Lloris and Martinez shine? The score reset in normal time pays 7.4 to one. Remembering that two of the last three Cup finals ended exactly like this, with the score at 0-0.
It was like this in 2010, between Spain and the Netherlands, and in 2014, in the duel between Argentina and Germany. The other final that ended goalless in regulation time brings back fond memories for Brazil: it was in 1994, in the United States.
