Argentina vs. France Betting Tips: Back Romero to be carded in World Cup Final

Live on BBC One and ITV, Argentina go up against France in the World Cup Final at the Lusail Stadium this Sunday at 7pm and we’ve previewed the action and provided you with our best bets for the occasion.

For the first time in 24 years, holders of the World Cup title will be stepping out in the final as France look to win two world cups in a row for the first time since Brazil achieved the feat in 1962. Despite injuries to key players N'golo Kante, Paul Pogba and Karim Benzema, France have been a force to be reckoned with as they overcame a tough challenge in the quarterfinals against England and then held their nerve against Morocco, the first African nation to qualify for the World Cup semifinals. 

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As for Argentina, not many had expected them to be playing the final after losing to Saudi Arabia in their opening game but they bounced back from that defeat emphatically, winning four games and beating The Netherlands on penalties in the quarterfinals. Many expected a very tightly contested semifinal for them against Croatia but they eased past Modric & Co. with a 3-0 hammering. 

Lionel Messi has every box ticked in his checklist heading into the final except one, and that is the World Cup. This is likely going to be his final World Cup appearance and the whole world has their eyes set on whether Lionel Messi can cement his name in footballing history as the greatest of all time by lifting the World Cup. He is also tied with Kylian Mbappe on 5 goals as the topscorer but leads the Golden Boot race due to having more assists (3) so this is another battle to keep an eye on when the two teams kick off in the Lusail Stadium. 

Will Messi finally lift the World Cup in a fairytale ending? Or will France crush his dream to rewrite history? We will certainly know the answer to these questions this Sunday.

An absolute blockbuster of a World Cup final awaits us, and as usual I have you covered with 2 of my best betting angles below:

Team News:

Montiel & Acuna both return from suspension so Argentina go into the final with no missing players.

Rabiot & Upamecano missed the semifinal with illness but are expected to return for the final.

Argentina possible starting lineup:

E. Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Acuna; De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Allister; Di Maria, Messi, Alvarez

France possible starting lineup:

Lloris; Kounde, Varane, Upamecano, T. Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe; Giroud

• - Lionel Messi Over 1.5 shots in the match
• - Giroud Over 0.5 shots in the match
• - Enzo Fernandez Over 0.5 tackles in the match
• - Over 1 cards in the 2nd half for both teams combined
• Bet Builder @ 4/5 - bet365

Lionel Messi is averaging the most shots for Argentina at the World Cup with 4.5 per game. He has had at least 2 shots in every game of this World Cup campaign so far and with him being level with Mbappe for the golden boot, I can definitely see him attempting quite a few shots on the French goal. 

As for Giroud, he is averaging 3.2 shots per game for France and has had 3, 4, 2, 2 & 5 shots in his 5 World Cup appearances so far in this campaign. For him to get at least 1 shot looks like a banker when you consider the quality of players in the French lineup who create chances for him. 

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Enzo Fernandez is averaging 2 tackles per game for Argentina in that defensive midfield position. He has had 4, 1, 3 & 2 tackles in 4 starts for Argentina and in such a huge game, I expect him to get stuck in and get a few tackles. 

Finally, World Cup finals are games that see high card counts historically. Since 2006, finals have seen 4.88 cards per game and with a card happy Polish ref Szymon Marciniak in charge, I expect him to be slightly lenient in the 1st half but then start dishing out cards in the 2nd half. 

Expect cynical fouls in the final 45 minutes and if one of the teams is trailing, then this bet will sail in even more comfortably. Combining these 4 selections gives us a solid bet builder @ 4/5 and I am happy to stake 1pt on that as our main bet for the final.

Cristian Romero is Argentina’s joint most booked player at the tournament with two yellow cards to his name, both coming in his last two appearances in the knockouts. He will likely have to help out Molina to stop Mbappe and knowing Romero, he will be expected to put in a rash challenge at some stage in this game. He is as short as 11/10 to be booked with some bookmakers so backing this bet on Paddy Power or Betfair seems sensible. 

As for our 2nd selection, Antoine Griezmann has been running the show for France in this World Cup and has been arguably their most influential player. He is leading the assists chart for them with three, and has created the most chances at this World Cup (21). I am therefore backing him to get another assist here and combining these two selections gives us a cracking longshot at 18/1 and I am happy to stake a small 0.25pt on that as our second bet for the final.

Did you know that bet365 pay your bet as a winner in Bet Credits if it loses in normal time but goes on to win in extra time T&C's apply). Find out more on our bet365 offers page.