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The first World Cup round of 16 match between two footballing giants - Argentina and France will be played on June 30 at the Kazan' arena. It is going to be an enthralling encounter between two heavyweights, and it will keep their respective fans on the edge of their seats.
Argentina had a roller-coaster journey in the group stage. Despite being held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Iceland and suffering a humiliating defeat to Croatia, Argentina were able to keep themselves alive due to their lucky 2-1 win against Nigeria. The positive thing for them is that Lionel Messi scored against Nigeria and hence he is peaking at the right time for Argentina.
France on the other hand, topped their group by beating Australia in a 2-1 thrilling encounter, achieved a 1-0 victory against a stubborn Peru defense due to Mbappe's goal and were held to a 0-0 draw by Denmark in their final group stage game. France has a talented squad, capable of winning the World Cup.
Argentina has a better head to head record against France, having beaten them 6 times and losing only twice. It will be a completely different ball game on Sunday, hence that record won't matter to the players as they take to the pitch.
Let us have a look at 3 key battles which might decide the outcome of the game on Saturday.
#3 Pogba vs Mascherano
This battle between an experienced midfielder on one hand and a very talented young midfielder on the other, will be a fascinating and well-contested duel to watch out for. Both of them have had a decent World Cup so far and will be looking to dominate possession for their respective sides.
Being regarded as a good passer, Mascherano is also very physical and has the ability to time his tackles to perfection. Pogba is an excellent dribbler, a renowned playmaker, and a dead ball specialist.
Mascherano will be responsible for man marking Pogba and will also stop him from creating opportunities for France. He will also have to be careful about Pogba's speed, agility, and technical skills which might beat Mascherano's experience on some occasions in the match.
Pogba has completed 95 successful passes and has a pass accuracy of 72.3 percent in the opponent's area at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Mascherano has completed 264 successful passes and has had 80 percent success at tackling.
This is going to be a heated battle between two fierce competitors, and we might see some heated moments between these two on Saturday.
#2 Griezmann vs Rojo
Rojo will have confidence on his side in the Round of 16 having become a hero for Argentina by scoring the late goal against Nigeria which secured them a place in the Round of 16.
Griezmann has had a decent World Cup and scored in France's first game of the group stage against Australia from the penalty spot. The French supporters will expect him to fire against Argentina and win the game for them.
Being a shrewd campaigner, Griezmann's technical dribbling skills, flair, and constant pressing will test Rojo's defensive abilities. Being a no-nonsense defender, Rojo will be aggressive against Griezmann and will not give him the freedom to operate freely when the French attack.
Griezmann has fared disappointingly in front of goal, with only 1 goal for France in 3 group stage matches. Having made 3 interceptions and 10 clearances in 2 group matches, Rojo also scored a crucial goal for Argentina against Nigeria.
If Rojo succeeds in keeping Griezmann quiet throughout the match, then it will boost the confidence of the Argentinian outfit. This will be a good battle to watch out for.
#1 Messi vs Kante
The battle between these two exceptional players might decide the final score of the first round of 16 game. Having found his goal scoring form, Messi proved his critics wrong by scoring a wonderful goal against Nigeria, and will look to increase his goal tally against France.
Kante on the other hand has played very well for France in the group stage. Being responsible for breaking the opposition's counter-attack, he will be entrusted with the role of man-marking Lionel Messi as he was the creator of many Argentinian attacks in the group stage.
Kante's defensive abilities and tactical awareness may isolate Messi as it happened against Rakitic in Argentina's 3-0 defeat to Croatia.
Having scored 1 goal in 3 matches at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Messi became only the 3rd Argentinian after Diego Maradona and Gabriel Batistuta to score in 3 World Cups. Kante was at his best against Australia as he won the ball 14 times for France.
An in-form Messi will try to make the life of France's defenders miserable, hence Kante is the shield which will try to protect them against the magic of Lionel Messi.
