And then there were two. On Sunday, the 2022 FIFA World Cup will crown its champion, meaning fans will finally see which team is the best among the best. As France prepares to face Argentina, it is time for some France bold predictions.
Les Bleus are coming off a 2-0 win over the underdog Morocco in the semifinals. France will now have to chance to win its third World Cup title and repeat as champions after taking the trophy home in 2018. This would mark just the third time a nation wins back-to-back World Cups and the first since Brazil did in 1958 and 1962.
On the other side, La Albiceleste is also pursuing its third title. The South American most recently defeated 2018 finalist Croatia in a convincing 3-0 fashion. With Lionel Messi playing some of the best international soccer of his career, this is Argentina's best shot at winning the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
As both teams try to edge over each other with a third title, there should be a lot of pressure. Not only this could go down as the best game of 2022 but one of the greatest in World Cup history.
With that being said, here are three bold predictions for France as they play Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final on Sunday.
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3. Dayot Upamecano and Adrien Rabiot rejoin the starting 11
Despite the 2-0 victory over the surprising Moroccan squad, things were not as easy as the scoreboard shows. After conceding early, the African nation had multiple great opportunities to find an equalizer. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons why Morocco had good chances was thanks to some key absences for France.
Just hours before the semifinal, France announced that Dayot Upamecano and Adrien Rabiot had contracted the flu. Ibrahima Konaté and Youssouf Fofana started in their places, respectively.
While the backup duo did a solid job, it could have been costly for the French. Both Konaté and Fofana have less than 10 international appearances for France. On the other hand, Upamecano and Rabiot have been starters throughout the entire tournament.
Playing against a more threatening Argentinian team, the Europeans need their best players available. Also, the experience should be key in such a big game. Both Upamecano and Rabiot have played crucial matchups for both the French team and their respective clubs.
The bold prediction is that even if they are not 100%, Upamecano and Rabiot will be in the starting lineup. Both seem to have head coach Didier Deschamps' trust, so they should be part of the game plan of defending Messi.
2. Kylian Mbappé makes history, scores in back-to-back finals
There is no secret that Kylian Mbappé has been France's best player in the 2022 World Cup. The Paris Saint-Germain star leads the tournament alongside Messi with five goals, plus the French forward has two assists. He has contributed with either a goal or assist in seven out of the team's 13 goals in the World Cup.
And Mbappé is no stranger to a World Cup final. In 2018, he scored against Croatia, helping the team win 4-2 and win the tournament for the first time since 1998. He became the second-youngest player to score in a final, just behind soccer legend Pelé for Brazil in 1958. Mbappé ended up earning the Young Player Award.
In 2022, Mbappé has the chance to make history once again. Should he score against Argentina, he will become only the second player to score in back-to-back World Cup finals. In the previous 21 tournaments, it has only happened once as Brazilian striker Vavá did so in 1958 and 1962.
The bold prediction is that Mbappé will score his sixth goal in this World Cup and his second overall in finals, carving his name as a World Cup legend at age 23.
1. Antoine Griezmann is France's best player in the final
As much as Mbappé deserves his praise, there is another French player playing an outstanding tournament. Antoine Griezmann is one of the top assist leaders with three, tied with names such as Messi and England's Harry Kane.
Even though he failed to score for France in 2022, some could argue Griezmann is playing better than he did in the 2018 World Cup. In Russia, he scored four times and earned the Bronze Ball award as well as Man of the Match honors in the final.
The main reason Griezmann is not scoring but assisting more is how he reinvented his style in the French team. He used to play as a forward but now acts more like an attacking midfielder, facilitating the game for Mbappé and finding striker Olivier Giroud when needed. Griezmann takes control of the ball and sets the pace of the game for the Europeans. His new position also allows him to help more on the defensive side of the field.
The bold prediction is that he will have another great performance on Sunday. Not only that, he will even surpass Mbappé and be the team's best player in the final, making a case to be one of the top three World Cup players in back-to-back tournaments.
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