Lusail Iconic Stadium will play host to Monday's FIFA World Cup game between Argentina and France. The game kicks off at 2:00 am with France heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Argentina vs. France game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Monday December 19, 2022 at 2:00 am

Where: Lusail Iconic Stadium

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

Argentina vs France Odds

Argentina vs France Preview

The dynasty or the destiny, the reigning champions against the perennial “almost there” team, the old against the new, Lionel Messi and Kyllian Mbappe.

After 63 matches and four weeks of frantic action, the World Cup Final will be between Argentina and France with history on the line.

France will be aiming to become the first nation to successfully defend their title in 60 years, while Argentina is trying to be the first reigning Copa America champion to win the World Cup.

For Lionel Messi, this is the one thing that has eluded him throughout his stellar career and after going so close in 2014, this is shaping up as his last chance at completing his trophy cabinet.

The markets for this are forecasting a very tight contest and with the way both sides have advanced to the final, it is going to be very tough for punters to split them.

Argentina overcame a rough opening match when they were stunned by Saudi Arabia to rattle off  five straight wins and while they did ride their luck at times, they held their nerve better than their opponents.

As for France, they also lost one match during the group stage but that came on Matchday 3 when they fielded a severely weakened side.

In the knockout stage, they rolled through Poland, England and Morocco however there are still concerns about their defensive stability with only one clean sheet throughout the tournament and even then, Morocco still created plenty of havoc.

These sides met in the 2018 World Cup in the Round of 16 with the French winning a 4-3 epic and another high scoring encounter appears to be on the cards.

Considering some of the best attacking talent in the world will be on display, not to mention Messi and Mbappe’s penchant for pulling out miraculous moments seemingly from nothing, it’s tough to see either team being able to keep a clean sheet.

Messi is almost a must-back as an anytime goalscorer as he has featured heavily throughout the tournament and looks to be a very likely winner of the Golden Ball for best player.

For the French, the temptation is to go for Mbappe, however Olivier Giroud is the player who offers value.

While not the biggest name in the French lineup, he has a knack for scoring in big games for club and country, after all, he is France’s all time leading goalscorer.

Now for the tough call, which team will lift the trophy.

France is the better team on paper but after their first up defeat, this Argentine side has been on a mission.

While neither side is overly stable at the back, I have far more concerns over the French and their tendency to sit off opponents, which is a very dangerous ploy against Messi.

Extra time and penalties are definitely on the cards with two sides that match up against one another like this, so the “To Lift the Trophy” market is the way to go.

It’s a choice partly influenced by the head and partly influenced by the heart, but it does seem somewhat fitting for Messi’s international career to end with the one trophy he has always wanted.

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