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DEFENDING champions France face Argentina in a heavyweight Fifa World Cup final in Qatar on Sunday, pitting Kylian Mbappè against clubmate Lionel Messi in a fascinating duel for glory.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstars crave World Cup success for similar reasons.
Victory for Messi will cement his legacy as the greatest footballer ever, says Orlando Pirates coach Woody Jacobs whose money is on the Albiceleste ending their 36 year wait to win the Fifa World Cup.
“My favourite player, the greatest of all time, Messi, I would like for him to win. They are facing a formidable team in France. I just hope that they play out of their skin come Sunday and win the World Cup for Messi, so we settle this thing of who’s the greatest once and for all,” Jacobs said.
A second consecutive World Cup success will propel Les Bleu talisman Mbappe’s claim to being the heir to Messi as the world’s best player of the new generation.
“France will win the World Cup. They have a strong squad. I think Kylian Mbappè will dedicate this final to CR7 [Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo]. He looked up to him [growing up],” said Brave Warriors midfielder Dynamo Fredericks.
France might appear the more rounded of the two sides, but Argentina and Messi are determined to have their day, according to veteran journalist and Namibian human encyclopedia Conrad Angula.
Argentina eased 3-0 past Croatia to secure their spot in the final, with man of the match Messi running the show.
“I’m giving this one to Argentina. They just peaked at the right time and they’ve grown in stature,” says Angula, a flying left-winger during his playing days.
“They’ve proven that they want it more and their progress so far is built on a solid defence, while their French counterparts look very shaky under pressure,” he observed.
“Then we’ve the Messi factor. He has turned into a monster in this tournament and he wants it more than anybody else. Lastly, Argentina are playing better as a unit while the French seem to depend on individual brilliance, especially from Mbappè.”
Eleven Arrows head coach Paulus ‘Wire’ Shipanga does not see the formidable French relinquishing their hold of the title, based on the balance in the squad.
After seeing off Morocco 2-0 in their semi-final on Wednesday, France are now 90 minutes away from becoming the first team to defend their title in 60 years.
History favours the French who have a psychological advantage over Argentina following a 4-3 victory en route to winning the 2018 edition in Russia.
Mbappè, then a prodigious 18 year-old, scored twice to send the Argentines packing.
“I’ll go for a 2-1 in favour of France,” Shipanga said.
“Reason being that they’re the defending champions and they’ve shown solid defence and a good scoring record. It won’t be easy but they’ll still take it. Plus, Benzema might return for the final.”
Brave Warriors head coach Collin Benjamin feels it will come down to who wants it the most as the sides are relatively evenly matched.
“It’s really a difficult one. It’s the best and consistent two teams at the World Cup,” said the former Hamburger SV star.
“Messi with Argentina look to be very determined and hungry, the best player in the world being so motivating for his country,” he noted.
“On the other side you have France that are playing as a unit. They don’t have all their top players, but they’ve got so much quality and depth that you don’t even miss those players. It’s history that they are looking at,” Benjamin continued.
“It’s a difficult one to call. All I know is that both teams are playing at a very really high level and have good quality.
“I’m in the middle and I’m looking forward to a very good game.”
THIRD-PLACE PLAYOFF
Before the title decider, Croatia and Morocco will need pick up the pieces after their semi-final defeats when they square up in the third-place playoff on Saturday.
The two teams drew goalless in their group opener last month and will welcome the prospect of potentially leaving Qatar on a high to make up for the semis heartache.
“At a World Cup, this was perhaps one step too far. Not in terms of quality or tactics, but physically we came up short,” Atlas Lions coach Walid Regragui said.
“The important thing is that we presented a good look to our team and that football in Morocco is not far from the top level.
“It’ll be difficult on a mental level. I’ll give opportunities to those who didn’t play and we’ll try to clinch third place.”
For 2018 runners-up Croatia, reaching a second consecutive final looked unlikely when they won just one group game.
Zlatko Dalic has stuck with a largely settled team throughout this tournament and, having made clear just how keen he is to secure third place.
I told the players they need to keep their heads up, be proud of giving their maximum and be ready, we must prepare to fight for third place,” Dalic said.
“There is no blame on our guys, I congratulate them for everything they’ve done at this World Cup. Now we’ve to get up, dust ourselves off and try to win the bronze medal.” – Additional reporting by SuperSport
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