The World Cup final is just days away and what a game we have in store with Argentina taking on reigning champions France for football’s greatest honour.
There is a lot riding on this match and the biggest match in sport is going to attract millions of bets around the world. We take a look at how the odds are shaping up for the showpiece courtesy of Betfred.
World Cup winner
Due to how both sides have performed on the pitch to get to the final, the bookies feel there isn’t much to separate them. Betfred have Argentina and France both priced at 10/11 to lift the trophy this weekend.
Both teams have star quality, but in terms of calibre across the pitch, reigning holders Les Bleus edge their opponents. A lot of talk around France’s progression through the tournament has been about all the key absentees they have had to deal with both leading up to and during the tournament.
READ MORE:
-
Why Messi will never match Maradona’s mesmerising month at Mexico ‘86
-
Griezmann the great: Why the WC final shouldn’t be billed as Messi v Mbappe
The likes of Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, integral players to their triumph in Russia four-and-a-half years ago, didn’t make it to Qatar. Many expected France to struggle without them but the truth is they haven’t been missed as Didier Deschamps has adapted to his losses brilliantly. The key to their success has been dropping Antoine Griezmann into midfield where he has been flourishing over the past few weeks.
France may have a stronger looking squad than Argentina but La Albiceleste have Lionel Messi, the sorcerer supreme. Many have already dubbed this tournament as the 35-year-old’s World Cup and he has been incredible to watch as he looks to crown his career with the one piece of silverware that to some, divides him from the late Diego Maradona as the greatest footballer of all time.
Another key threat for the South American side is striker Julian Alvarez who has been whetting the appetite of Manchester City supporters by showing just how much of an asset he is going to be for them in the years to come. It is quite frightening that they have both him and Erling Haaland on their hands. He has been key for Argentina in recent weeks, having taken Lautaro Martinez’s place in the starting lineup as a result of his performances and impact in matches.
This is all set to be a cracking final. Especially when you cast your mind back to 2018 when this fixture was a thrilling seven-goal thriller in the semi-finals.
To win the game in 90 minutes, Betfred are offering 9/5 on both Argentina and France. It is worth noting that only one of the two sides' knockout matches have gone to extra time and that was Argentina's penalty shoot-out victory over the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
Goalscorers/Goals
This will be a market that a lot of punters will be looking at in the build-up to Sunday and this is perhaps one of the most interesting finals at the World Cup for goalscorers. This is because four players, two on each side, have a chance of winning the Golden Boot. Messi and Kylian Mbappe are both top of the leaderboard with five, but they are closely followed by Julian Alvarez and Olivier Giroud who are both on four.
Here is what Betfred is offering on each of the four hopefuls:
Lionel Messi - To score first: 7/2, to score anytime: 7/4, to win the Golden Boot: EVS
Kylian Mbappe - To score first: 4/1, to score anytime: 15/8, to win the Golden Boot: 11/10
Julian Alvarez - To score first: 6/1, to score anytime: 11/4, to win the Golden Boot: 11/1
Olivier Giroud - To score first: 11/2, to score anytime: 11/4, to win the Golden Boot: 11/1
There is a lot more than just the World Cup on the line in this one and with each of these players in contention for the Golden Boot we can expect a couple of goals in this one.
Betfred are offering EVS on both teams to score and given that both teams boast the four top scorers in the tournament, and they have both scored in all of their matches so far, this is great value. Another market that offers good value is for there to be over 2.5 goals in the game, with 11/8 on offer.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
