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So, the group stage games of the 2018 FIFA World Cup have come to a close and we’ve got 16 teams who will fight each other out for the coveted trophy starting Saturday.
The first fixture of the round of 16 will see Group-C winner France take on Group-D runners-up Argentina at the Kazan Arena.
The two teams had strikingly different fortunes in the group stage. France, by virtue of two narrow wins and a draw, went on to top Group D.
Argentina, on the other hand, was pushed to the extreme by Iceland and Croatia but eventually made it to the knock-out stage by beating Nigeria 2-1.
Les Blues were one of the favourites coming into the tournament but haven’t hit top gear as yet, whereas Argentina will take confidence from their final group stage win over Nigeria.
The last time these two teams met at a World Cup, the South Americans pipped the Europeans in 1978.
So, who will have the last laugh this time around?
Well, predict the winner at your own peril guys and while you do that, just take a look at three reasons why Argentina can knock France out of the World Cup:
#3 Deschamps is unsure of his first XI
There is no denying that the Les Blues are supremely talented and hence; remain one of the contenders for football’s greatest prize. But for all the talent in their ranks, they looked pretty mediocre in the group stage.
Manager Didier Deschamps looked bereft of ideas as he kept on chopping and changing his side in a desperate hope of extracting the best out of his men.
The highly rated front-three consisting of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele didn’t offer much against Australia, forcing Deschamps to bring in Olivier Giroud in a no 9 role in the next match. This too yielded little results as the Chelsea man often looked isolated primarily due to their poor midfield play.
The Les Blues boss made as many as six changes in the final game against Denmark, but to no avail, which only highlights the fact that Deschamps is yet to pin down on his first XI.
Argentina couldn’t have asked for a better time to face France than this. If Samapaoli’s men can get their act together against a puzzled French side on Saturday, they have a very good chance to progress to the next round.
#2 A misfiring Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann played a significant role in taking France to the final of Euro 2016. Who could forget his brace against the Germans that saw Die Mannschaft exit the tournament from semi-finals!
A similar sort of performance was expected of him in the group stage but he looked completely a shadow of the player he was at the Euro two years back.
Tasked with leading the front-line in France’s opening game against Australia, the 25-year-old forward failed to live up to the responsibility. He lost the ball way too easily and on way too many times as he struggled to make a mark in the match. Peru and Denmark's clashes were no different either.
The Atletico Madrid man is yet to score a goal from open play which means he will go into the Argentina match low in confidence and Sampaoli’s back-four would like to add to his misery on Saturday.
This is not to say that Griezmann is the only threat to Argentina but neutralizing a prolific goal-scorer from the opposition will definitely strengthen their grip on the match.
#1 The Messi factor
Messi struggled against Iceland and so did Argentina. He looked lost against Croatia and so was Argentina from the score-sheet. However, when push came to shove, the game’s greatest player arrived and how!
The Barcelona wizard showed excellent control and poise to score a 14th-minute goal to set the Albceleste on their way against Nigeria.
“Cometh the hour, cometh Messi”, you say.
The 31-year-old dribbled superbly and looked sharp with his passes but more than anything, he looked like the Messi we all revere as fans.
He spearheaded the side to perfection against Nigeria and also offered the team-talk during halftime - something we’ve hardly seen him doing.
A fired up Messi is a worrying sign for any side and Deschamps will be cautious with his tactics against him.
However, we’ve seen the diminutive magician destroy teams in the past and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Les Blues are Messi’ed out of the game on Saturday.
