Henry Roldán
Argentina vs France, two of the early favorites to take home the championship trophy, will square off in the last game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar on Sunday.
The South American team defeated Croatia in the semifinals with a 3-0 score and will thus play its second final in the last three World Cups. For their part, the reigning champions come into the game with everything they need to defend their titleafter defeating a very good Morocco team 2-0.
It is important to keep in mind that both nations met in the round of 16 of the most recent World Cup in Russia in a thrilling game that concluded with a 4-3 victory for France.
Without further ado, JefeBet brings you the greatest preview of Argentina vs. France, the thrilling and historic World Cup championship match.
Predictions and Betting Preview for the Argentina vs France 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar Final on December 18, 2022
- Where: Lusail Iconic Stadium – Lusail, Qatar.
- When: Sunday, December 18, 2022, 10:00 AM E.T.
- Moneyline of PointsBet: Argentina (+175) / Tie (+200) / France (+175).
- Over/Under (2.5): Over (+140) / Under (-180).
- Both teams score: Yes (+125) / No (-145).
- Pointsbetting (exclusive at PointsBet, for terms and conditions, click here): [to be defined]
Odds provided exclusively by PointsBet.
Betting on Argentina
Argentina’s outstanding on-field performance has made it more likely than ever for many people to believe that Lionel Messi will finish his last dance with a World Cup victory.
The Albiceleste team defeated Croatia, a Russia 2018 finalist that had already eliminated other favorites like Brazil in this edition, with a convincing 3-0 triumph.
As he had throughout the competition, Messi was instrumental in Argentina’s victory over Croatia. The team had gone 11 games without a loss before facing PSG midfielder and rising wonder Julian Alvarez.
When Alvarez was fouled, Messi was given a penalty, which he successfully converted to give his team the lead. Julian Alvarez then took center stage: he ultimately scored twice, the first goal in the 39th minute and the second one in the 69th. The 22-year-old has four goals thus far in the tournament, one fewer than Messi and his upcoming rival Kylian Mbappé.
After their defeat against Saudi Arabia in the first game of the group stage, Lionel Scaloni’s team is still undefeated and have only conceded three goals, one to Australia and two to the Netherlands. This is something extremely important before facing an opponent like France, which has possibly the best striker in the tournament.
With 42 wins in their last 41 matches, Argentina are more than hopeful of bringing their people the third World Cup in their history.
Possible lineup (4-4-2): Emiliano Martínez, Nahuel Molina, Nicolás Otamendi, Cristian Romero, Marcos Acuña, Enzo Fernández, Rodrigo de Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Leandro Paredes, Lionel Messi, Julián Álvarez.
Argentina’s road to the final:
- Group Stage: 1st place Group C – Matches: vs. Saudi Arabia (P, 1-2); vs. Mexico (G, 2-0), vs. Poland (G, 0-2).
- Round of 16: Won 2-1 against Australia.
- Quarterfinals: Tied 2-2 with the Netherlands and went through on penalties.
- Semifinal: Won 3-0 against Croatia.
Betting on France
The road is already set: France simply needs one more victory to successfully defend their Russia 2018 championship. The tournament’s biggest surprise, Morocco, were defeated by Didier Deschamps’ team in the semifinal by a narrow 2-0 margin.
The African team occasionally made the star-studded French team struggle. This time, France not only has the chance to win their third world championship trophy, like Argentina, but also to join Italy and Brazil as the only three nations to have won consecutive competitions.
Five minutes into the game, France took the lead thanks to a goal from Theo Hernandez. This was the first goal by an opponent that Morocco had allowed; the only other score was an own goal.
The Moroccans had possession of the ball and had 13 shots on goal. However, their lack of skill was punished by an excellent move by Kylian Mbappé that ended with Randal Kolo Muani scoring in the 79th minute to put the game beyond doubt.
France has preserved a clean sheet for the first time in the tournament, but considering that they scored at least two goals in five of their six games, they haven’t really needed to.
Possible lineup (4-2-3-1): Hugo Lloris, Jules Koundé, Raphaël Varane, Ibrahima Konaté, Theo Hernandez, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Youssouf Fofana, Ousmane Dembélé, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé, Olivier Giroud.
France’s road to the final:
- Group stage: 1st place Group D – Matches: vs. Australia (G, 4-1); vs. Denmark (G, 2-1), vs. Tunisia (P, 1-0).
- Round of 16: Won 3-1 against Poland.
- Quarterfinals: Won 1-2 against England.
- Semifinal: Won 2-0 against Morocco.
JefeBet Prediction
A prediction for a match thus evenly matched is so difficult to make that the opening odds in Las Vegas bookmakers show an overwhelming equality.
Argentina, driven by a young and talented team, is extremely motivated to win the World Cup for Lionel Messi and bring it back to South America after Brazil won it in Korea-Japan 2002.
For their part, France is a solid team, with an overwhelming physicality on the pitch and an incredible talent for counter-attacking attacks with Mbappé, Dembélé, Griezmann and Giroud. What better incentive could there be than the fact that the second championship in a row is only 90 minutes away?
It will be key for Argentina to keep a clean sheet for as long as possible and to be able to take advantage of France’s small defensive gaps. However, that won’t be so easy considering the quality of the Europeans’ forwards.
Prediction: Argentina wins on penalties after a draw in stoppage time (ARG 1 – FRA 1).
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