SM
Bayern vs. Real Madrid: 18 hrs 19 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data
AN
World Cup | Final
Dec 18, 2022 at 3pm UK
Lusail Iconic Stadium
FN

Argentina
3 - 3
France

Argentina win 4-2 on penalties
Messi (23' pen., 108'), di Maria (36')
Fernandez (45+7'), Acuna (90+8'), Paredes (114'), Montiel (116'), Martinez (126')
FT
(aet)
Mbappe (80' pen., 81', 118' pen.)
Rabiot (55'), Thuram (87'), Giroud (90+5')

World Cup 2022: Reasons for France to be confident of beating Argentina

:Headline: World Cup 2022: Reasons for France to be confident of beating Argentina:
Ahead of Sunday's World Cup final between Argentina and France, Sports Mole looks at three reasons for Les Bleus to be confident of marching to successive titles.
Sports Mole

Reigning World Cup champions France will endeavour to become just the third nation in history to win back-to-back titles when they take to the turf against Argentina in Sunday's final at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.

Les Bleus booked their spot in the final for the second tournament running after defeating Morocco 2-0 in the semi-finals, as Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani made the net ripple either side of the half-time whistle.

Didier Deschamps is dealing with an internal crisis as a virus sweeps through his squad at the worst possible time, but as the holders, Les Bleus still have plenty of reasons to feel confident of ending the Argentinian dream on Sunday.

Here, Sports Mole looks at three factors which could work in France's favour in Sunday's highly-anticipated showpiece event.


Unbeaten South American record

France are yet to meet a nation from South America at the 2022 World Cup, but when Les Bleus have tackled CONMEBOL outfits in the past, they have ended up on the correct end of the scoreline more often than not.

Indeed, France head into Sunday's final having avoided defeat in each of their last 10 World Cup matches with South American nations, winning six and drawing four against teams from the continent in that time.

Coincidentally, the last South American nation to overcome Les Bleus at the World Cup was Argentina in the 1978 group stage, but France have since gone 44 years without losing to their neighbours from across the Atlantic.

That run also includes a thrilling 4-3 win over Argentina in the last 16 of the 2018 World Cup - one of only three wins for the holders in 12 previous meetings with La Albiceleste - and France are also one of two European sides to have ever beaten a South American team in a World Cup final, seeing off Brazil 3-0 in the 1998 edition.


Fantastic firepower

Tunisia may have quelled a shot-shy France attack in their final Group D match, but Les Bleus' previous ruthlessness had already seen them wrap up qualification for the knockout stages, and their first-choice attackers have returned to their merciless ways since.

Deschamps's men have amassed a tournament-high 13 goals across their six matches so far - only quarter-final opponents England also hit that apparent unlucky number during their run to the last eight - and they have struck at least twice in all five games where they have found the back of the net.

Such a clinical nature is hardly a surprise considering that the current France XI boasts their highest-scoring male player of all time in Olivier Giroud, and Kylian Mbappe, whose five goals sees him lead the way at the top of the Golden Boot charts alongside Paris Saint-Germain teammate Lionel Messi.

Furthermore, Mbappe has now started 11 World Cup matches for France, and Les Bleus have won all 11 of them, with his two appearances off the bench ending in that 1-0 loss to Tunisia and a 0-0 draw with Denmark in 2018.

Keeping the 23-year-old free of infection is therefore of paramount importance to Deschamps, who also possesses one of the tournament's best performers in Antoine Griezmann, who has created more chances for his teammates than anyone else in Qatar - 21 to be exact.


Deschamps's World Cup penchant

There is just something about Didier Deschamps and winning at the World Cup. From the tough-tackling midfielder who won the tournament as a player in 1998 to the wily manager who joined a rare handful of coaches by steering Les Bleus all the way in Russia four years ago.

Only Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer have also won the World Cup as both a player and manager, and few had France down as their favourites to win given their challenging period on and off the field in their build-up to the World Cup, but Deschamps has faced the adversity head on and led his side through the rut.

Of the 18 World Cup matches that Deschamps has taken charge of, 14 have ended in victory at a win percentage of 78%, which is a record for coaches who have overseen at least 10 games at the finals.

Italian luminary Vittorio Pozzo led Italy to World Cup glory in 1934 and 1938, and he is the only man to have won more than one World Cup as a manager to date, but Deschamps certainly possesses enough know-how to become the second member of that exclusive club.


Read more on Argentina vs France


body check tags ::

amp_article__502141 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2022-12-17 17:08:08:
html db last update - 2022-12-16 18:22:10 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Read more!
Share this article now:


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Recommended Next on SM
Argentina vs. France: How do both squads compare ahead of World Cup clash?
Man Utd 'open to offers for entire squad except for three players'
What is treble bet?: A guide to sports betting in 2024
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal35255585285780
2Manchester CityMan City34247382325079
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs33186967521560
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
9Chelsea33139116359448
10Bournemouth35139135260-848
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton35128153748-1136
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3579194262-2026
18Luton TownLuton3567224877-2925
19Burnley3559213870-3224
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Premier League trio to battle for Brighton midfielder?

1

PL

'Critics make me want to work harder' - Man Utd man keen to prove himself at Old Trafford

2

'M

Picture Spoilers: Next week on EastEnders (May 6-9)

NEW

3

PS

Picture Spoilers: Next week on Coronation Street (May 6-10)

NEW

4

PS

Four players who could replace Thiago Silva at Chelsea

5

FP

Man United 'consider signing goalkeeper to compete with Onana'

6

MU

Lewandowski nets hat-trick to fire Barcelona past 10-man Valencia

7

LN

Madrid Open highlights: Nadal advances as Norrie knocked out

8

MO

Ex-Arsenal, Man Utd man 'to become free agent at end of season'

9

EM

Burnley defender 'attracting interest from Premier League, Bundesliga clubs'

10

BD


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .