World Cup final prediction, pick: How to bet France vs. Argentina in football finale

The eyes of the entire sporting universe will be on Lusail Stadium on Sunday morning when Argentina and France meet in the 2022 World Cup Final.

And while the final of any major international tournament drips with drama, it’s hard to get much bigger than this one. Not only does it feature two soccer powerhouses, but the two sides are led by all-time talents at opposite ends of their respective careers.

On one end of the pitch will stand Lionel Messi in what will likely be the global superstar’s final match for Argentina, and on the other side is 23-year-old Kylian Mbappé, looking to lead France to a back-to-back title.

Adding to the intrigue is the fact that the betting market can’t split these two teams. At the time of writing, France is a -112 favorite to lift the trophy, but this is as close to a pick’em as you can get in a soccer match.

It does seem logical that the bookmakers are having an awfully tough time separating Argentina and France. The teams have similar strengths — starting with their game-breaking superstars — and weaknesses. Both teams have shown some defensive flaws at times in this tournament.

But there are some stylistic and matchup advantages that favor the French. They aren’t profound by any stretch, but that’s why this match is lined so tight.

» READ MORE: Lessons from Qatar: How Philly is already planning for the 2026 World Cup

It may be a gross oversimplification to say that whoever has the bigger positive impact between Messi and Mbappé will decide who lifts the trophy, but it’s definitely a big part of the equation. And to that end, it does seem like the Frenchman should have the better matchup.

While Messi works his magic in the middle of the pitch, Mbappé’s pace and ability to stretch defenses is perhaps his greatest power. Just being aware of Mbappé on the wing naturally causes a defense to open up and your fullbacks need to play an almost perfect match to contain the 23-year-old star. While Argentina has talent on its backline, Mbappé should have the advantage against Nahuel Molina.

Meanwhile, the French midfield, which is led by an in-form duo of Antoine Griezmann and Aurielen Tchouaméni, should have a decent chance of at least slowing down Messi.

There’s also some more general tactical issues for Argentina in this matchup. Argentina is most comfortable on the ball and letting Messi dictate the tempo of the match from the midfield, but that should play into France’s hands. The French do an outstanding job of staying organized out of possession and waiting for a mistake to pounce on, so this stylistic matchup should suit them quite a bit.

» READ MORE: Grant Wahl: A remembrance of an accomplished sportswriter whose untimely death shook the World Cup

And while Argentina’s got the talent to dominate any team on any given night, they’ve yet to face an elite side in this tournament and their best opponent, the Netherlands, gave them a host of issues defensively.

In fact, even though Argentina’s defensive numbers are quite impressive overall in this tournament, the two teams that really tried to get balls in behind their backline — Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands — exposed some serious concerns for La Albiceleste.

As the odds suggest, there really is very little between these teams, but France’s ability in the midfield and the stylistic matchup should give Les Bleus the slight edge.

» READ MORE: Full sports betting coverage from The Philadelphia Inquirer

The Inquirer is not an online gambling operator, or a gambling site. We provide this information about sports betting for entertainment purposes only.