OneFootball
Lewis Ambrose·30 June 2018
OneFootball
Lewis Ambrose·30 June 2018
After one of the craziest World Cup group stages in living memory weâve arrived at the business end of things.
The knockout rounds are here and Saturday is when it all starts to get very serious very quickly.
France, Argentina, Uruguay, and Portugal are in action to kick off the knockout games. Three former World Cup winners and the reigning European champions. Ready?
France are pretty big favourites against Argentina in Saturdayâs opener. This is by far the weakest Argentina side in the last 15-20 years and they scraped through the group by the skin of their teeth.
However, this wonât be straightforward unless France suddenly click into gear. NâGolo KantĂ© has been incredibly impressive and Paul Pogba looked good in the first two group games but none of the other big names have delivered yet. Antoine Griezmann doesnât quite seem to fit in, Kylian MbappĂ© has looked dangerous in fleeting moments, Ousmane DembĂ©lĂ© has disappointed.
On paper France absolutely look like one of the strongest sides in Russia but they eked through the group stage with three goals (including one VAR-awarded penalty) in games against Australia, Peru and Denmark.
Until now thereâs been an over-reliance on Pogba to create and an over-reliance on the fullbacks to provide width. Didier Deschamps must find a way to get the best from the incredible talent at his disposal.
Of course Lionel Messi struck when Argentina needed him most against Nigeria on Tuesday. It may not have been the winner but Messiâs moment of magic was a perfectly-timed reminder to never write him off.
Just when Argentina looked helpless and on their knees, their talismanic captain delivered. France may be Saturdayâs favourites but any team with Messi has a chance. If he turns it on in Kazan he may just inspire his side and drag them through.
If youâve completely written off an Argentina that contains Leo Messi you simply havenât been paying enough attention.
Imagine a game where Luis SuĂĄrez taking on Pepe is just an appetiser for the drama. On Saturday you donât have to. This oneâs for fans of whatâs best referred to as âsnideâ behaviour.
While SuĂĄrez and Pepe are quite literally dancing with the devil at one end of the pitch, Cristiano Ronaldo will be trying to best Diego GodĂn at the other. GodĂn has not only been one of the best defenders at the World Cup so far, heâs also a master of the dark arts. Ronaldo is hardly unfamiliar with them himself.
So much is said about Ronaldo v Messi or â today â Ronaldo v SuĂĄrez but Saturday eveningâs clash gives us two true head-to-head battles between players who will be directly competing with each other for 90 minutes. These duels at each end of the pitch will most likely decide who goes through. No pressure.