Argentina and France put a finishing touch to the World Cup in Qatar, this Sunday (12:00) in Lusail, with a final in which the leadership of Lionel Messi threatens a solid defending champion, decimated by a virus but driven by his phenomenon Kylian Mbappé.
On Sunday, Qatar’s national day, two of the three stars of Paris Saint-Germain, the emirate’s flagship in club football, will clash for the supreme title of national teams, the perfect party for the organization of the tournament.
– Opposite trajectories in Qatar –
Messi has 90 minutes left to touch the title that is missing in his palmares and definitively pick up the baton of Diego Maradona, who in Mexico-1986 took down the second star that appears on the chest of the Albiceleste.
France will also fight for the third. Renewing the title achieved four years ago in Russia would also pair it with Pelé’s Brazil, the second and last team capable of winning two consecutive World Cups, in 1958 and 1962.
It would be the perfect continuation of a winning cycle that began with the 1998 title. With Sunday’s, he will have played four finals of the last seven editions, with two titles and one defeat (2006), waiting for what happens in the vessel Lusail bream.
Argentina and France repeat the Russia-2018 round of 16 duelin which Les Bleus prevailed 4-3 in one of the best matches of the tournament.
In Qatar their trajectories have been opposite. France stood out from the first day for its consistency despite the fact that he faced the tournament with a long list of casualties, including the Ballon d’Or Karim Benzemajust before starting.
The Albiceleste arrived excited with a 36-win streak and suffered a skid against Saudi Arabia (2-1) that has made him play five ‘finals’ until reaching the final.
But now the team led by lionel scaloni boasts of a solidity earned with sweat and suffering, with a Messi decisive, author of five goalsescorted by Julian Alvarezone of the revelations of the tournament, which adds four.
Same balance for the French forward, mbappe He also has five conversions and his first squire Olivier Giroud have fourescorted by a Antoine Griezman Huge as midfielder-midfielder.
The concerns of the French coach Didier Deschamps They are in the infirmary. The “viral syndrome” that circulates in the concentration left without training on Friday to kingsley coman, Ibrahima Konate Y Raphael Varane. Besides, Theo Hernandez Y Aurélien Tchouaméni They were beaten, although this Saturday all the members of the blue squad were at the coach’s disposal.
– Does Di María return to eleven? –
“I am not going to go into the details, we try to take the maximum of precautions. If we had not had the virus, better, but we manage it as we can, ”Deschamps said this Saturday.
In the Argentine team it seems that angel di mariawho suffered a muscle injury against Australia in the round of 16, is in a position to be the ownerso Scaloni would have his 26 players available, although Papu Gómez drags a blow.
“The (alignment) that we use tomorrow will be the one that we think can do the most damage to the rival,” said the South American coach.
The eleven that he will present to the final is difficult to predict. “Here they have played with different systems and different players. In the final they could do something new ”, warned Deschamps.
The duel will be played in a lusail stadium become the home of the Albiceleste in Doha. There they fell in the opening match against Saudi Arabia and then rose against Mexico (2-0), beat the Netherlands on penalties (2-2, 4-3) in the quarterfinals and celebrated the pass to the final in the semifinals against Croatia (3 -0).
On Sunday a light blue and white tide will once again take over the enclosure, with capacity for 90,000 viewers. “I expect a festive atmosphere, the Argentine people are passionate, but the rivals are on the field and not in the standsDeschamps recalled.
PROBABLE ALIGNMENTS
Argentina: Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Lisandro Martínez, Marcos Acuña; Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister; Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez. DT: Lionel Scaloni
France: Hugo Lloris; Jules Koundé, Raphaël Varane, Dayot Upamecano, Theo Hernández; Aurélien Tchouaméni, Adrien Rabiot; Ousmane Dembélé, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé – Olivier Giroud. DT: Didier Deschamps
