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It doesn’t get much better than this, as Lionel Messi and Argentina take on Kylian Mbappe and France in the World Cup Final on Sunday. These teams are two of the most successful in World Cup history, as each will be going for their third World Cup title. Only Brazil, Germany and Italy have more World Cup titles. The focus on Sunday will be on Messi as he looks to win his first World Cup, but France shouldn’t be overlooked, as they are trying to become the first team since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 to win consecutive World Cups. Argentina and France met four years ago in the Round of 16 and it was France winning by a score of 4-3. Let’s look at World Cup Final picks.
2022 World Cup Betting Odds at BetRivers Sportsbook
Argentina +185
France +185
Draw +195
Total 2.5 under -182
Team To Win World Cup
France -115
Argentina -108
Argentina vs. France Betting Preview
The World Cup odds on this match are completely even, as oddsmakers don’t really know who to favor. There are plenty of high-profile players in Sunday’s World Cup Final, but the focus will be on Messi and Mbappe. These two are teammates at Paris Saint-Germain and they lead the Golden Boot race with five goals each. Never before in World Cup history have teammates finished 1-2 in the World Cup’s Golden Boot race. Messi will set the record for the most World Cup appearances with 26, as he passes Germany great Lothar Matthaus. On the other side, Mbappe is looking to become the second youngest player to win two World Cup titles. Mbappe is 23-years old and only Pele, who was a two-time winner at 22-years old was younger.
While Messi and Mbappe will get a lot of attention, both teams have other players who can make an impact. Argentina has Julian Alvarez, while France has Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann. You can make a case that Griezmann is underrated, as he has created 21 chances in the World Cup, the most of any player, three in front of Messi. Griezmann also has the third-most tackles won of any player.
Argentina has the star power of Messi and Alvarez and they have gotten really strong play from Alexis Mac Allister who has 11 blocks in the World Cup. The Argentina midfield has been strong with Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez and Leandro Paredes. We know that Messi is the key scorer for Argentina, as he has put 10 of his 23 shots on net. Argentina has scored at least two goals in 12 of their 15 matches in 2022. They also have 10 clean sheets.
France has been rolling along in the World Cup led by Mbappe but he is not their only star. Olivier Giroud has four goals and is France’s all-time top scorer and we already talked about how good Griezmann is. There are also rumors that France will get star Karim Benzema back for this match. Griezmann and Mbappe have combined for five assists. France has 33 shots on target while allowing 20 shots on goal. France also has Hugo Lloris who has eight clean sheets in 19 World Cup matches. France has scored at least two goals in five of their six World Cup matches.
World Cup Final Picks
I know that some people are predicting a 1-1 draw that goes to penalties, but I don’t think there is enough value to take the draw. A lot of people think that Messi will finally get his World Cup title, but when you look at these two teams, France looks like the better side. France has more scoring options than Argentina so if France can keep Messi in check, they have the edge. I think there is some value on France to win at odds of nearly 2-1. I also think there is some value on the total. Both of these teams have shown they can score goals, as they usually put up at least two goals per match. We can get +150 on over 2.5 goals at BetRivers. I’ll take France and the game over the total on Sunday.
Check out the latest World Cup odds at BetRivers.
