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France vs Croatia
World Cup 2018: France vs Croatia prediction, team line-ups, stats and preview ahead of final showdown
Didier Deschamps' side go into Sunday's final in Moscow as heavy favourites
IT ALL comes down to this - a repeat of the 1998 semi-final when Lilian Thuram scored the ONLY goals of his international career to turn the match round.
France go in as strong and heavy favourites, but all too aware they failed to turn up when they had home advantage against Portugal in the Final of Euro 2016.
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For the Croats, the adventure of a lifetime means they stand on the verge of the greatest achievement of the Balkan state’s short independent history. Whatever happens, they will return as heroes.
The nation expects
Victoire! Of course. France were devastated to lose the 2006 Final on penalties to Italy but blowing it now would feel like a haymakers in the solar plexus. They have to win.
Croatia’s players do not need telling what a win would mean in Zagreb, Split, and all parts between. Nobody really envisaged this could happen, yet here we all are.
Key battles
Luka Modric broke England when he was able to dominate from the middle of the park. But N’Golo Kante is, with all due respect to the Liverpool man, a completely different prospect to Jordan Henderson.
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A look back at France’s journey to the World Cup final against Croatia
Kylian Mbappe has already shown he is the future of football. Play as he can and he becomes the present, too. And the new King.
Weak links
Croatia have played an extra 90 minutes in the knock-out phase alone with all three ties going to extra-time. With one day less to recover from the semis, surely that has to tell.
France’s biggest weakness may be caution. They have been functional rather than spellbinding and Didier Deschamps got it horribly wrong two years ago. He cannot afford the same mistake.
Team Talk
Both sides came through the last four without any injuries or suspensions and are expected to be unchanged. Blaise Matuidi offers more going forward than Corentin Tolisso.
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Likely line-ups
France: Hugo Lloris; Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Hernandez; Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante; Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Blaise Matuidi; Olivier Giroud
Croatia benefitted from the defensive resilience of Marcelo Brozovic against England and with France’s array of attacking weapons former Leicester striker Andrej Kramaric will again start on the bench.
Croatia: Daniel Subasic; Sime Vrsaljko, Dejan Lovren, Domagoj Vida, Ivan Strinic; Marcelo Brozovic; Ante Rebic, Ivan Rakitic, Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic; Mario Mandzukic
Best bet
If ever there was a stage set for a player it is the Luzhniki and Kylian Mbappe. Take him to be first goal scorer.
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It’s been a hard road for Croatia in the World Cup but now they face France in the final
Prem Tsar in the making
Jose Mourinho was desperate to land Ivan Perisic last summer. It seems only a matter of time before a Prem club comes up with the cash.
The stat that matter
Croatia have never beaten France in their five previous meetings, losing three including that Paris showdown 20 years ago. Deschamps, of course, was captain of the France team that day.
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