A month of awe-inspiring soccer action in Qatar has reached its pivotal moment as we’re back with a final helping of 2022 World Cup picks for Sunday’s last meeting.
Read on for this weekend’s top soccer analysis and World Cup betting preview for the final game between Argentina and France.
Argentina vs. France
Saturday, December 18, 2022 – 10:00 AM EST at Lusail Stadium
The 2022 World Cup tournament is one for the history books. Soccer fans will tenderly look back on this Qatar edition for its never-ending ability to deliver shock after shock. We’ve witnessed outsiders Morocco reach the semifinal and Japan surpass Spain and Germany to top their group.
Now, we should witness a thrilling 90 minutes when the two most talented nations compete for the coveted first-place position.
Argentina booked their place in a World Cup final with a 3-0 win over Croatia, while France found their return as defending champions when overcoming Morocco 2-0.
Argentina: Last Chance for Lionel Messi
Entering Qatar as one of the tournament favorites was a position instantly put into turmoil as Saudi Arabia presented a shocking 2-1 win over Lionel Scaloni’s squad. However, Argentina has been almost perfect since then.
After consecutive 2-0 successes over Mexico and Poland, the 2021 Copa America champions sailed past Australia and the Netherlands before dismantling Croatia in the semifinals. It was Julian Alvarez who claimed a brace against Croatia. However, the spotlight was still shining on Argentina’s hero, Lionel Messi, who netted one of his own and dished an exemplary assist to Alvarez.
Messi now has five goals and three assists from his six appearances in Qatar, and his final World Cup appearance could end with a World Cup trophy, as well as the Golden Boot and/or Golden Ball, if he performs in the same manner he has done thus far when facing France this Sunday.
Beyond Messi’s heroics, Argentina enters the World Cup final, losing just 1 of their last 42 games in all competitions.
France: Defending the 2018 Crown
Oppositely, France began their Qatar campaign with a 4-1 hammering over Australia. This opening success was followed by a 2-1 win over Denmark and then a surprising 1-0 defeat to Tunisia, albeit with a second-string XI representing Les Blues during this loss.
France hasn’t looked as clinical in the final third as their Sunday opponents, but they did manage to overcome Poland, England, and Morocco to book their fourth World Cup appearance in seven attempts.
The 2018 Russia World Cup champions were significantly underestimated heading into Qatar, and rightfully so when considering some of their summer results that included back-to-back defeats. However, and to no surprise, Kylian Mbappe has been the showstopper for Les Bleus, netting five goals and two assists thus far.
However, it hasn’t been a one-person team, as the efforts of Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud have also been instrumental in France’s journey back to a World Cup final.
Argentina vs. France: Head-to-Head
These sides last met at the 2018 World Cup. It was an emphatic display of soccer at both ends, but France claimed an impressive 4-3 win.
Argentina and France have met on 12 occasions in their history, with La Albiceleste taking six wins and Les Bleus claiming three. There have been three tie games, but the previous drawn result hasn’t been witnessed since 1977.
World Cup Final Best Bets
The current World Cup odds have both teams holding a +165 moneyline price. And as this World Cup final meeting is likely to be a close-fought battle between two attacking sides, these odds should be no surprise.
We expect a thrilling encounter between two teams that have provided excitement since matchday one. While goals from both ends are highly probable, France’s defensive concerns are still waving some red flags, having maintained just one clean sheet in Qatar.
For this reason, betting on Argentina to lift the trophy in 90 minutes, extra-time, or on penalties is the option we’re going with at the best sportsbooks.
Score Prediction: Argentina 2 – France 2
World Cup Pick: Argentina to Lift the Trophy (-125) at Caesars Sportsbook
World Cup Pick: Over 2.5 Goals (+143) at Unibet
