The World Cup final is set as Argentina vs France has so many amazing stories including Lionel Messi vs Kylian Mbappe.
LIVE STREAM ARGENTINA v FRANCE
Will the master, Messi, finally get the World Cup trophy he surely deserves? Or will the apprentice, Mbappe, win his second World Cup? Both have been sensational at this tournament and are head-to-head for the Golden Boot and the Ballon d’Or.
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
The closing ceremony will take place before the final, as the curtain falls on the tournament in Qatar. Polish referee Szymon Marciniak will take charge of the biggest showpiece in men’s football. This is the last match before the return of the Premier League and other top leagues around the world.
As for Argentina, they have grown in this tournament and Lionel Scaloni has created a hungry team that is able to sit down, then take on challenges and fly forward with Messi pulling the strings and the brilliant Julian Alvarez stretching the opposing defenses. There is a feeling of fate when it comes to this Argentinian team.
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France wanted to make it to the final as they have rarely reached the best form at this tournament, but considering all their injury problems before that, we see how deep this France team is as they go. preparing for a consecutive World Cup. titles under Didier Deschamps. Like Argentina, they prefer to sit and hit teams at the counter and of course that means finding Mbappe as often as possible.
Here’s everything you need for Argentina against France in the World Cup final.
How to watch Argentina vs France live, stream link and start time
to start up: 10 a.m. ET – Sunday, December 18
Stadium: Iconic stadium of Lusail, Lusail
Television channels in Spain: Telemundo
Broadcast in Spanish: Peacock (all 64 games)
Key scenarios, actors to watch closely
The key battle and storyline is obviously the master versus his apprentice. Will 35-year-old Lionel Messi win the World Cup trophy he has coveted since the start of his legendary career? Or will his PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe, 23, lead France to back-to-back World Cups, the second of his young career? Elsewhere on the pitch, the main battle will take place in midfield.
The midfield quartet of Enzo Fernandez, Rodrigo de Paul, Alexis Mac Allister and Leandro Paredes have been sensational for Argentina, while defensively they are flexible to switch between a back four and five. The return of Montiel and Acuna from suspension is giving Lionel Scaloni a selection headache as he seeks to lead Argentina to their third World Cup trophy and their first since 1986 when the great Diego Maradona sacked them led to glory in Mexico. Can Messi do the same in Qatar? However, Messi has been nursing hamstring pain this week and all eyes will be on him (understandably) and his fitness.
As for France, well, they fought hard throughout this tournament and the defending champions were hardly electric. But they got the job done and are one win away from becoming the third team in history to win back-to-back World Cups. Didier Deschamps was hit with huge injuries ahead of this World Cup but his side have recovered extremely well with a youngster who has stepped up. Ibrahima Konaté entered the semi-finals and excelled but like Argentina, France still look a little fragile defensively. In midfield, Antoine Griezmann rolls back the years in his new role as a deeper playmaker, and Aurélien Tchouameni has been superb in the starting role. Up top, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Olivier Giroud purr and give France incredible balance. Many players have been affected by a virus in the French camp, something to watch out for. It has also been reported that Karim Benzema could return to the France squad for this final after leaving just before the tournament kicked off due to injury and was never replaced, but now he is back in shape. Deschamps refused to speak extensively on this topic and Benzema shouldn’t be included in the squad.
Quick facts about France
[ MORE: Argentina’s history at the World Cup ]
Current FIFA World Ranking: 4
World Cup titles: 2 (1998, 2018)
World Cup appearances: 15
How they qualified: Automatically qualified by UEFA (Win Group D)
Coach: Didier Deschamps
Key players: Kylian Mbappé, Hugo Lloris, Antoine Griezmann, Raphaël Varane
Path to the 2022 World Cup final: Finished top of Group C; beat australia 2-1 in the last 16; beat the netherlands penalty kicks in the quarter-finals; beat Croatia 3-0 in the semi-finals
Quick facts about Argentina
[ MORE: France’s history at the World Cup ]
Current FIFA World Ranking: 3
World Cup titles: 2 (1978, 1986)
World Cup appearances: 17
How they qualified: Automatically qualified from CONMEBOL (2nd place)
Coach: Lionel Scaloni
Key players: Lionel Messi, Emiliano Martinez, Nicolas Otamendi, Julian Alvarez
Path to the 2022 World Cup final: Finished top of Group D; beat poland 3-1 in the last 16; beat england 2-1 in the quarter-finals; beat morocco 2-0 in the semi-finals
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