France vs Argentina 30/06/18

30 June 2018

For the first time since the 1978 World Cup, France and Argentina will play against each other at the final tournament, as both teams secured their places in the round of 16. France as the leaders of Group C are predestined to face off against the runners-up of Group D, which in this case is Argentina, with the match anticipated to take place at the Kazan Arena. Although Les Bleus finished top of their respective group, they have failed to deliver desirable quality, barely scoring three goals in the group stage, with two of them came against Australia in the opening match. The same goes for La Albiceleste, who after qualifying for the World Cup in the final fixture of the qualification tournament continued to struggle in the group phase. Jorge Sampaoli’s progressed to the knockout stage with just one win, losing to Croatia by three goals to nil, and the former Chile coach has to come up with something special if looking to avoid elimination in the round of 16, as France despite the weak performance in the first three matches still resides as one of the favorites to lift the prestigious trophy.

After spending the whole game against Denmark on the bench, Paul Pogba should return to the starting line-up, as well as, Kylian Mbappe, who came on off the bench in the final fifteen minutes of the encounter. As for Argentina, Cristian Pavon might replace Enzo Perez on the right wing, considering the uninspiring display from the River Plate star against Nigeria.