The biggest soccer match on the planet takes place on Sunday as Argentina and France will face off at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar.
France are hoping to become just the third nation to retain the World Cup trophy.
Les Bleus once had a reputation as chokers, having suffered semi-final exits in 1958, 1982 and 1986.
But that all changed when Didier Deschamps captained them to World Cup glory on home soil in 1998, and from that moment they have been a model of consistency.
France are appearing in their fourth final in seven editions of international football’s greatest competition.
No other country has managed more than two final appearances in that time.
And Deschamps has led Les Bleus as intelligently as a manager as he did as a player despite attracting minimal attention.
Team News
Didier Deschamps has overcome seeing key figures missing both pre and during the tournament.
Meanwhile, Argentina have bounced back from a shock defeat to Saudi Arabiaon the first matchday to go unbeaten since.
Kylian Mbappe will be the focus of the France attack and it will be interesting to see whether Argentina adopts a specific tactic to stop the Paris Saint-Germain star.
England tried that in the quarterfinals with a degree of success but he is unlikely to stay quiet for long and should be at the center of things for the champions.
Mbappe has had 25 efforts at goals during this tournament and 10 of those have been on target.
So, expect him to try his luck frequently and force a goalkeeper’s save at least a couple of times.
It’s a rare occasion of two finalists going head-to-head having lost a game at the tournament.
Context is key to both though – France had already qualified with top spot basically secured and Argentina were very unlucky in that opening contest.
La albiceleste deserve huge credit for how they’ve navigated the knockout stages though, with both Lionel Scaloni and his team able to successfully adjust their own style to match that of their opponent and succeed in key battles.
Match details
Stadium Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Fifa rankings Argentina 3, France 4
Weather Clear, 22C
Team news
Argentina
Papu Gomez is a doubt.
Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuna are available after suspension.
France
Striker Olivier Giroud is a doubt after suffering a knock to the knee in training on Saturday.
Dayot Upamecano and Adrien Rabiot missed the semi-final against Morocco but could come back into contention.
A number of French players missed periods of training this week due to a virus but all trained on Saturday.
Probable teams
Argentina predicted line-up: Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Acuna; Mac Allister, Fernandez, Paredes, Rodrigo de Paul; Alvarez, Messi.
France predicted line-up: Lloris; Kounde, Upamecano, Varane, Theo Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele; Griezmann, Mbappé; Giroud.
Argentina v France prediction
With so much on the line and two quality teams going head to head, the World Cup final will likely be a tightly contested affair.
Les Bleus have triumphed in seven successive World Cup knockout matches and can find a way to win against Argentina, who are facing by far their toughest match of the tournament.
It’s hard to split the sides but expect Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé to shine on the biggest stage on Sunday.
Our prediction: Argentina 2-2 France (with Argentina to win in penalties)
