Verdict: Under 2,5 goals – yes
Best Odds: 4/9
Bookmaker: 888sport
The World Cup final is here. On Sunday, we will find out the name of the 21st world football champion. France will be looking to win their second trophy in 20 years, while Croatia want to do something unthinkable just a month ago. One of the dominant sides of the last two decades wants to go back to the top, while Croatia never conquered anything. This will be their shot at immortality and a spectacle is to be expected.
France
France are a side that everyone talked about because of their attacking potential. However, at this tournament they proved that it was their defence that was going to make a difference. France conceded only four goals. One was a meek penalty in opener against Australia, the remaining three were against Argentina. One of those three was Di Maria’s superb strike, which rarely come by, the second was a fluke thanks to Mercado’s foot and the third one came deep into stoppage time when France were basically through, thinking about the next game. Now, they will have to prove themselves once again in that regard – Hugo Lloris also had some very important saves throughout the tournament – and Olivier Giroud will be expected to finally at least make a shot on target, and then maybe even score when his team will need it the most.
Team News
Didier Deschamps will have all of his 23 players ready to play.
Croatia
Croatia have managed to get into semifinals without ever looking like a team reaching their potential. That does not only tell a lot about their side of the draw – for which they cannot be blamed – but also about their team. Against Nigeria and Iceland they simply did the job, while Argentina offer them an easy win on the plate. They never really got to their best against Denmark nor Russia, even though they were the better team during those 240 minutes of football. And then, when it mattered the most, they showed up with their best performance in Russia, beating England in the semis. They were conceding first in all three knockout matches and still managed to get to the final, playing 360 minutes instead of 270. Now, against France, they will have to push themselves once more.
Team News
It will be a difficult situation for Zlatko Dalic. He only has 22 players at disposal and Sime Vrsaljko, one of the key players for his team, is having issues with his knee and was not expected to play against England. Mario Mandzukic is also far from being 100 percent fit, but they will be expected to start on Sunday.
Key Factors to Consider
- France will play their third World Cup final in last six editions, having failed to previously reach final between 1930 and 1994.
- This will be Croatia’s first World Cup final, as they lost in semifinal of 1998 edition – and they lost to France.
- Ivan Rakitic will play his 71st match of the season, having played over 92 hours of competitive football since last August.
- Antoine Griezmann and Ivan Perisic are teams’ leaders for shots made – both have tried to score on 20 occasions.
- No team had more yellow cards than Croatia in this World Cup (11), yet they did not have a player suspended for two yellow cards.
Conclusion
Like with every World Cup final, I expect a tough affair. It is incredibly tricky to predict winners, so I will go with a safer bet – less than 2,5 goals seems to be safe.
Verdict: Under 2,5 goals – yes
Best Odds: 4/9
Bookmaker: 888sport
france 2:1 croatia
france will lift the trophy given their potential at midfield and fowards