World Cup final preview: Argentina vs. France a heavyweight clash that goes beyond Messi, Mbappe

When Argentina plays France in the men’s World Cup final on Sunday, it will be a clash of not only the two best teams of the tournament but arguably the two best players in the world currently: Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.

This match also carries added weight, as a win for France would make it five straight victories for Europe (Italy in 2006, Spain in 2010, Germany in 2014, and France in 2018). South America last won in 2002 with Brazil.

These teams were two favourites coming in, and it is fitting this is what it comes down to. Let’s dig into this spicy matchup:

ARGENTINA PERSPECTIVE

Road to final: Lost to Saudi Arabia 2-1. Beat Mexico 2-0. Beat Poland 2-0. Beat Australia 2-1. Drew 2-2 with the Netherlands, won penalty shootout 4-3. Beat Croatia 3-0.

Flashback to around the hour mark of Argentina’s second group match against Mexico when it was still 0-0. Its attack seemed muzzled, and it desperately needed an answer on the back of a shocking 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia.

Enzo Fernandez came on for Guido Rodriguez in the 57th minute, while Julian Alvarez and Nahuel Molina came on for Lautaro Martinez and Gonzalo Montiel in the 63rd.

Messi scored with a perfectly placed drive outside the penalty box one minute later.

The players who came on had little to do with the goal, but that stretch was a clear pivot point in Argentina’s campaign, from which they haven’t looked back.

Fernandez added a second later and has been tremendous starting in midfield since, an in-form Alvarez has four goals and one assist, and Molina scored the opening goal against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.

After being backed into a corner, manager Lionel Scaloni made the changes that has Argentina on the brink of a third World Cup title and first since 1986.

All those surrounding pieces have functioned perfectly around Messi. The all-time leading scorer for Argentina now seems freed from national criticisms of the past. The days of his own country neglecting his success because of a deeper connection with Diego Maradona are long gone.

They have ooh’d and ahh’d at Messi’s every touch, held their breath with his every move. He has shown raw emotion, whether it be joy or even anger, like we’ve never seen before. He has made them feel in a way Maradona once did.

Argentina’s captain has given them memories they will cherish and on Sunday, he can give them something no one will ever forget.

FRANCE PERSPECTIVE

Road to final: Beat Australia 4-1. Beat Denmark 2-1. Lost to Tunisia 1-0. Beat Poland 3-1. Beat England 2-1. Beat Morocco 2-0.

Win on Sunday and this French era will be up there with some of the greatest international team runs. Euro 2016 finalists, 2018 World Cup champions, and 2022 World Cup finalists.

France could become the first men’s team to win back-to-back World Cups in 60 years after Brazil (1958 and 1962) and Italy (1934 and 1938).

Much like Brazilian legend Pele captivated the world with his stupendous tournament performances, Mbappe is doing the same across 2018 and 2022. At 23-years-old, there’s no end in sight either.

Mbappe has been virtually unstoppable all tournament and will be raring to go in the final, knowing an opportunity to take down Paris Saint-Germain teammate Messi would cement his own status as an all-timer.

France has been more than the phenomenal Mbappe, though. Olivier Giroud springs up in all the right places, and Antoine Griezmann is arguably the straw that stirs the whole drink.

Ousmane Dembele, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Adrien Rabiot have all shone in their roles, while Theo Hernandez has had admirable performances. Between the posts, captain Hugo Lloris has been one of the tournament's best goalkeepers.

What manager Didier Deschamps has accomplished with this group is truly remarkable and can’t be ignored, having been at the helm through this entire phase. He also captained France to World Cup glory in 1998 and victory at the European Championships in 2000.

This tournament speaks to the sense of unity he has built within the squad, overcoming the absences of Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Presnel Kimpembe, and Christopher Nkunku.

Even after the tournament began, starting left-back Lucas Hernandez ruptured his ACL against Australia (his brother Theo has replaced him since) and heading into the semifinal against Morocco, Rabiot and starting centre-back Dayot Upamecano were ruled out due to sickness.

Nothing seems to faze this group.

TEAM INFO

The main concern for France is the availability of certain players due to a virus that has inflicted their camp.

Rabiot and Upamecano were isolated earlier in the week and missed out on the semifinal before Raphael Varane, Ibrahima Konate and Kingsley Coman all missed training on Friday.

Tchouameni (hip) and Theo Hernandez (knee) were also absent due to injury concerns.

However, on the eve of the final, France has been handed a huge boost with all 24 players participating in training on Saturday. Whether or not they are fully fit remains to be seen.

Probable France XI: 4-2-3-1 formation.

Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris. Defenders: Jules Kounde, Raphael Varane, Dayot Upamecano, Theo Hernandez. Defensive midfielders: Aurelien Tchouameni, Adrien Rabiot. Attacking midfielders: Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe. Striker: Olivier Giroud.

On Argentina’s front, Papu Gomez missed the semifinal against Croatia with an unspecified issue, so his status is unknown.

Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Monteil are available for selection after missing the semifinal due to suspensions.

Probable Argentina XI: 4-4-2 formation.

Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez. Defenders: Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Acuna. Midfielders: Rodrigo de Paul, Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister. Forwards: Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez.

There are no suspensions for either side.

TACTICAL KEYS

Les Bleus’ general approach in this tournament has been to score an early goal, then sit back and absorb pressure hoping to punish the opposition on the counter with pace and power.

France has taken the lead into halftime in five of six matches, the lone exception being the group stage loss against Tunisia, where it played a second-string side.

Unlike Scaloni, Deschamps has had a consistent approach regarding his formation, and the repeated success shows there’s no need to fix something that isn’t broken.

Deschamps will surely have seen the problems both Australia and the Netherlands caused Argentina in the air and will encourage aerial crosses Giroud can get on the end of. Set pieces will also present an advantage for France as Argentina don’t have anyone of considerable size.

France has generally defended in a 4-4-2 but has shown its vulnerabilities with only one clean sheet in the tournament.

This match seems destined to come down to what happens on France’s left side and Argentina’s right.

For Argentina to expose France at the back, it starts with taking advantage of Mbappe’s resistance to tracking back and Theo Hernandez’s attack-minded nature. Space could be available here.

It leads to the question of whether Scaloni will gamble with a 4-3-3 formation, which worked very well for England and Morocco against France. Add in if Angel Di Maria is fit to play and he may be even more inclined to shake things up.

Realistically, it’s more likely that Scaloni sticks with his usual 4-4-2 that was effective against Croatia. This will help defend Mbappe and mitigate the impact of France’s leading midfielders, Griezmann, Tchouameni, and Rabiot.

Here, Messi would also have the opportunity to drift wide right just as he did before tormenting Croatia’s Josko Gvardiol for a mesmerizing assist in the semfinals. Going up against Upamecano – who had a nightmare defending Harry Kane – or an under-the-weather Konate will have Messi’s mouth watering.

X-FACTORS

Because of the aerial concerns for Argentina, Giroud’s threat looms large for France. While Mbappe and Griezmann will be the main points of emphasis for Argentina to keep quiet, France will find a way to get those crosses in, and the AC Milan striker will be ready to pounce.

Molina’s performance will be crucial to Argentina’s success in this match. Not only will he have the unenviable task of defending Mbappe, but he is also willing to join attacks (as shown when scoring against the Netherlands). It can be a double-edged sword when accounting for Mbappe, though.

REFEREE

Szymon Marciniak will become the first Polish man to officiate the men’s World Cup final.

He will know these teams well, having refereed France’s 2-1 win over Denmark during the group stage and Argentina’s 2-1 win over Australia in the Round of 16.

The 41-year-old also has considerable UEFA Champions League experience.

LOCATION

Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, hosts the final. It is the largest stadium in Qatar, with a capacity of nearly 90,000.

Argentina has played four of its previous six matches here, including the stunning defeat to Saudi Arabia and the semifinal win over Croatia.

This will be France's first match at this stadium.

HISTORY

These two sides first met in a men’s World Cup at the inaugural edition in 1930, where France won the group stage encounter 1-0. They didn’t face each other on the big stage again until 1978 when Argentina won 2-1 in another group match.

Their last meeting at the World Cup was in 2018 in the Round of 16 when France edged a seven-goal thriller 4-3 before winning it all.

Anything like that on Sunday, and we are in for an all-time classic.