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France Vs. Argentina: World Cup Soccer Odds & Best Bets – Forbes Betting

The 2022 World Cup Final has arrived. A few underdog teams had chances to reach the final, but Argentina and France, countries that were among the betting favorites to win before the tournament began, will go head-to-head for all the glory.

The football world will see the two best players go into this final completely level in terms of goals and form. Lionel Messi of Argentina and Kylian Mbappé of France are vying for multiple individual honors. If either can score in this final, the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards are there for the taking. Every World Cup, a Golden Boot is awarded to the highest goalscorer in the tournament, and the Golden Ball is given to the best overall player. Mbappé and Messi can win both awards and lift the World Cup trophy this Sunday. Paper Sauce Cups

France Vs. Argentina: World Cup Soccer Odds & Best Bets – Forbes Betting

Messi, arguably the greatest of all time, goes up against Mbappé, the new kid on the block, in a matchup for the ages.

Both nations have lifted two World Cup trophies in the past, and this match will give one of them a third star on their kit. The last time Argentina won a World Cup was in 1986, while France won in 2018. 

World Cup wins marked a golden generation of talent for the respective countries. France is on the verge of winning back-to-back World Cups, something only two other nations have achieved (Brazil and Italy).

This finals matchup is a game between two veteran teams. Argentina’s last World Cup Final was in 2014, while France’s was in 2018. This Argentina team is much stronger than the one that lost to Germany in 2014. On the flip side, this France side is weaker than the 2018 group that thrashed Croatia to win it all.

This game should be back and forth. Both teams like to play quickly and have high-powered offenses. France will play away from the ball. France dismantled Morocco without having the ball, so look for France to try this approach again. France will double-team Messi and make Argentina’s supporting cast step up to beat them.

Argentina played a stellar match versus Croatia in the semi-finals and fixed their one glaring weakness. Argentina lacks height, but they did a great job making Croatia uncomfortable crossing the ball to get into prime scoring positions. “La Albiceleste” realized that Croatia couldn’t beat them if they couldn’t get service into the box. That defensive mentality shined when Messi’s Argentina side demolished Croatia 3-0.

Both France and Argentina are coming off playing 90 minutes in the semi-finals, not needing to go to penalties. In the knockout rounds, energy and fitness start to become a factor when it comes to older teams. Having extra rest will help both teams be at full strength.

FIFA’s new rule change before the Qatar World Cup means no player will miss the final for yellow card accumulation. However, French defenders Raphaël Varane and Ibrahima Konaté fell ill about 48 hours before the game and might be unavailable. This game is a World Cup Final, so if they can play, they’ll play. Still, both teams should be close to full strength barring injuries during training this week.

The last time these two teams played, the match ended in France’s 4-3 victory. This game could be another high-scoring affair. 

With a player on each team going for the Golden Boot award, the goals could be there in this game. Mbappé will be the difference maker for France, and Messi will be looking to help Argentina get across the line.

Keep an eye out for Argentina to be the primary holder of possession and France to try to break on the counterattack. France could score first, with a quick retaliation goal by Argentina before the second half. This match could see more goals scored in the second half than in the first. Both teams will try to put each other away, and since they are both so close on paper, this match will probably go longer than 90 minutes.

This matchup could end in a draw, as both teams will make sure to avoid any mistakes in the final. Teams can be timid with so much on the line but look for Mbappé and Messi to show some brilliance. Argentina could take this game on penalties, with Messi finally raising the world’s most prestigious football trophy.

Note: Odds are current from BetMGM Sportsbook at the time of writing and are subject to change.

Mbappé is one of only two soccer players who scored in a World Cup final as a teenager. The other soccer player to do so was Pelé. Mbappé (+188 odds) is a playable  prop bet , as he has shown what it takes to score in a World Cup final. Mbappé is also trying to win the Golden Boot, and he will shoot the penalty kick if France gets one.

Messi is arguably the best player left in the tournament. He must show brilliance if he finally wants to lift a World Cup trophy. He could also be on the verge of winning the Golden Boot, so he will be looking to get on the board in this final. Messi will also take Argentina’s penalties if they get awarded one. He’s always trying to score in important matches, so him finding a goal (+170 odds) is a reasonable prop bet.

Olivier Giroud of France (+240 odds) is also a playable longshot prop bet, as Mbappé will need some help if “Les Blues” want to win. Giroud has scored four goals in the 2022 World Cup and could still win the Golden Boot if he has a massive game with multiple goals.

This game won’t finish in 90 minutes, as you can see by how equal these soccer teams are on paper. The best bet here is the Tie (+195), as these teams are close in talent, and so much is on the line.

Both teams should score as it is a final, and neither has demonstrated that they are a defensive powerhouse in this World Cup. Bet on “Yes” (-105) for this match.

The  Over  (+130) is probably the bet to play here, as both teams have scored many goals in this tournament. Three players in this match will strive to win the award for the most goals in this World Cup. That trophy will make these three players take more shots on goal, creating more opportunities to hit this bet. 

That said, World Cup matches are highly unpredictable. This is a big reminder that anything can happen, so make sure to bet responsibly.

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Favian Renkel is a freelance soccer writer and reporter based out of San Francisco. He has written for many online platforms, including SBNation and Area Sports Network. He has also been featured on Telemundo and MLSSoccer.com.

France Vs. Argentina: World Cup Soccer Odds & Best Bets – Forbes Betting

Kraft Paper Brian Pempus is a Penn State journalism graduate who has covered the U.S. gambling industry since 2009, starting with Card Player Magazine in Las Vegas. He was later Deputy Editor of sports betting at Better Collective and Managing Editor at The Game Day, before joining Forbes Betting as Lead Editor in 2022.