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Argentina will go into battle against France tonight in the ultimate showdown of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. As the two nations that are packed to the brim with star players and are rich in football heritage lock horns in the World Cup final, we expect nothing short of a spectacular contest.
After suffering a shock defeat in their 2022 FIFA World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia, Argentina have looked nearly infallible in the rest of their campaign. They've had their fair share of struggles, but they've come together as a team and braved the odds to book a berth in the final.
France have seen off some of the strongest sides in the tournament to earn a shot at successfully defending their crown. It's difficult to say who will finish the night with their heads held high but we have a strong hunch that it will be Argentina.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five reasons why Argentina will win against France tonight.
#5 Argentina's support more massive than France's
Argentina's travelling support outnumbers France's by a huge margin. The Lusail Stadium can hold upto 88,900 people and there are reportedly 30,000 Argentines in Qatar.
The travelling support is reportedly in Argentina's favor by a ratio of at least 20 to one. This means that the Argentine players are likely to feel like it's a home match in Buenos Aires and not Doha.
Troves of Argentina fans have reportedly taken out loans to just be present to watch Lionel Messi's last shot at winning the World Cup.
#4 France struggling with flu and injuries
France are sweating over the fitness of a few key players ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The constant air conditioning in Qatar has not worked out well for a number of their stars. Dayot Upamecano, Adrien Rabiot, Raphael Varane, Ibrahima Konate and Kingsley Coman are all feeling under the weather.
There are also concerns regarding the fitness of Theo Hernandez and Aurelian Tchouameni as well. While the former suffered a couple of blows to his knee in the game against Morocco, the latter sustained a hip contusion.
As such, France might not be able to field their strongest XI against Argentina. That will be a huge blow for them as Argentina have no real injury concerns and will be putting their best foot forward in the final.
#3 Argentina have the edge if it goes to penalties
Argentina have won their last two penalty shootouts in major tournaments while France have lost their last two shootouts. But more tellingly, Argentina will have the edge over France if the game goes to penalties due to one man. Emiliano Martinez.
Martinez has been exceptional at penalties and his two magnificent saves in the shootout against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals helped Argentina win the game.
Hugo Lloris is a good goalkeeper too, but Martinez is too good at mind games and at hurling his body around to stop penalties that he is extremely likely to have an impact.
#2 Argentina have more gamechangers on the bench
With some of their first-teamers struggling for fitness, France are in a spot of bother. This is because their bench strength is far from enviable. While they have some world-class players in their starting lineup, there are not a whole lot of players who can come off their bench and impact proceedings.
Meanwhile, the Argentine bench is stacked with quality. Players like Lautaro Martinez, Paulo Dybala and Angel Di Maria can all make an impact for Argentina as substitutes. In midfield, they have substitute options like Leandro Paredes, Papu Gomez and Guido Rodriguez.
They have backups in the full-back positions as well and the longer the game goes on, the more it could tilt in Argentina's favor.
#1 The Lionel Messi factor
With five goals and three assists to his name in six appearances at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, there is no doubting that Lionel Messi is a man on a mission. This is the 35-year-old's last shot at winning football's biggest prize and completing football.
This is also Messi's best World Cup yet and he has produced multiple clutch performances for Lionel Scaloni's side in Qatar. There is every chance that Messi will produce yet another masterclass of a performance in the final.
He has been in sublime form since the start of the 2022-23 season and if he kicks on in the same manner, he will take Argentina to the promised land tonight.
