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Horse Racing Argentina vs France Bet Builder Tips: 2.60 Builder for World Cup Final
Argentina vs France Bet Builder Tips: Sunday, December 18th
Footballing immortality awaits a nation come Sunday evening. With that, as we have done for every fixture of the 2022 World Cup, bettingexpert provides Argentina vs France bet builder tips for you to contemplate.
In this article:
Argentina vs France Preview
World Cup Final, Sunday, December 18th, 15:00 (UK)
Les Bleus in one dressing room for the World Cup final and Argentina decking out the other in a lighter shade of blue is a script worthy of a Hollywood cast, a match-up deserving of fulfilling the most prominent game in football. It’s a meeting of two Goliath footballing nations as the showpiece 90 minutes offers the 11th meeting between a South American and European nation at the final hurdle.
These two have been here before, though it certainly doesn’t make it any more manageable. The silverware from two successful World Cup outings rests in the impressive trophy cabinet of both countries, with a razor-like focus now intently set on dragging the respective trophy counts from two to three.
The last time this pairing locked horns? That came in Kazan, as just over 40,000 oversaw a goal-fuelled spectacle in a city bursting with a vibrant mix of Russian and Tatar cultures. It was a setting that encouraged seven goals, a Kylian Mbappé brace and a wonder goal from Benjamin Pavard. It was underpinned by a feisty eight-card underbelly of a Round of 16 fixture that threatened to boil over. Unfortunately for Argentina, the French cast them aside before their tournament could progress through the gears.
But not this time. Both have navigated through said gears when necessary, marshalled by two superstar talents. Here we have two sides that have tasted defeat, two camps robust enough to have overcome late upsets and tricky passages of play, and two teams capable of overpowering the best of what the World Cup has to offer.
If Lusail can play host to a period as fruitful as what onlookers witnessed in Kazan on that early summer’s afternoon, this will be a clash for the ages. This is what we live for as football fans, as hopeful neutrals. Granted, we may not be cheering for our own country on Sunday, but we may well be on the cusp of a fixture worthy of discussion for decades to come.
Just as the double act of Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick and Kenneth Wolstenholme’s 1966 commentary still reverberates around homes throughout England every four years. Or, similarly, how Rio de Janeiro and beyond recollects the time a 15-year-old boy at Santos grew into a man amidst the pressure of a feverish, expectant nation, as he ran riot alongside Brazilian compatriots in his final World Cup-winning appearance in 1970.
The Lusail Iconic Stadium won’t boast Pelé, England’s ’66 heroes, or Wolstenholme’s witty, cutthroat takes, but there’s plenty to devour. There’s more than enough to force intrigue and an increasing romanticism for a sport we all hold dear, propped up by a set of individual battles which will ultimately swing the pendulum towards misery or euphoria.
Nevertheless, the stage is set. 32 teams whittled down to two.
The clammy Qatari air shared by players and supporters alike will be laced with trepidation and the steeliness required to perform on such a stage. It’s a platform made for some, a pedestal where few appear at ease and even less invoke enough to etch their presence into something so extraordinary it echoes for an eternity.
Well, Lionel Messi is of that ilk. He has been here before, downed by the Germans in Brazil’s backyard in 2014. If Messi has his say like he often does and scores or assists on Sunday, he’ll become the first player to register 20 goal involvements in the competition’s history. Considering his impact on this Argentinian siege towards the final, you’d be a brave bettor to back against the diminutive superstar conjuring something from nothing once more.
In the opposing camp, with a captain’s armband snug on his left arm, France skipper Hugo Lloris is in line to become the first-ever World Cup competitor to captain his nation to two back-to-back World Cup trophies. His manager, and former French captain, Didier Deschamps, will also write himself into the prestigious annals of World Cup history with a win. Deschamps, no longer in the engine room of a European powerhouse’s midfield, will become the only person to win the competition as a player and mastermind two trophy hauls from the dugout.
Argentina vs France Stats & Facts
- France have won all seven of their World Cup knockout games since the Round of 16 in 2018 in Russia.
- The 5.7 shots conceded per90 for Argentina this World Cup is fewer than any other competing nation. Stingy.
- The French have masterminded another World Cup final. They’ve managed four since 1998 – double what any other nation has managed in said timeframe.
- Lionel Scaloni, at 44 years old, is the third-youngest manager to appear in a World Cup final, behind Rudi Völler (42) and fellow Argentinian César Luis Menotti (39).
Argentina vs France Bet Builder
It feels almost poetic to have Lionel Messi in the final of a World Cup in what could be his last-ever appearance on the international stage. A career so blessed with moments that transcended the sport itself, with resulting images and highlight reels somehow prompting wonder in those unfamiliar with his craft. Now, 90 minutes separates one of the best we’ve seen from footballing immortality.
Of course, he’ll be revered in Argentina no matter what. His face dons every billboard and mural from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, Argentina’s southernmost city at the base of the country. And he will feel the weight of that expectation. He will know what he needs to do to complete his footballing resumé for his country as Diego Maradona did before him.
With that weighing expectancy on his shoulders, assume Lionel Messi takes a leading role in anything Argentina can conjure moving up the field. So far in Qatar, Messi has registered: 4 (3), 2 (1), 7 (4), 6 (2), 6 (2), and 2 (2) shots and (shots on target) up until this point.
With the PSG superstar spearheading set pieces and commanding the ball without saying a word in the final third, Over 2.5 Shots with at least one finding the target is a route into the bet builder that should go close on Sunday.
It’s an unenviable task for France. How do you stop a man who has scored in every knockout match so far?
“First of all you need to stop the feeder to Messi,” former France international Mikael Silvestre told us in an exclusive interview.
“And it’s very important to get close to him before he receives the ball otherwise it will be too late because he is too good.”
“It’s almost impossible to take the ball away from Messi when his body are turned against the opponent’s goal. Most likely the defender will make a foul, so we have to make sure to close him down before he gets the ball.”
Another option for the World Cup final also comes in the shape of an Argentinian prop market. Rodrigo De Paul, Messi’s minder in midfield, will likely have to enter ground duels against a tough-tackling French side. Didier Deschamps’ men are efficient in transition and progress the ball upfield swiftly, something that De Paul will need to be wary of at all times on the right-hand side of that three or four-man midfield.
De Paul has banked the proposed selection in four of his five displays on his Qatari journey to date, suggesting he’s good value for the 1.83 tackle line. He will likely be up against Theo Hernandez and Kylian Mbappé at times on his flank. There will likely be a directive from Lionel Scaloni for De Paul to dig in and assist Nahuel Molina at right-back before considering venturing forward.
Coupled together, it’s a 2.60 play that doesn’t hinge on a result or who lifts the trophy in what should be a very well-matched affair. Instead, all we ask is for more of the same, and the job may be a good’un.
- Lionel Messi Over 2.5 Shots
- Lionel Messi Over 0.5 Shots on Target
- Rodrigo De Paul Over 1.5 Tackles
Bet Builder odds: 2.60
Odds via bet365 as at 09:00, December, 15th, 2022. Odds may now differ.
