@BurrOaks77's FIFA World Cup Final Picks: Argentina vs France

Sun 18 Dec 2022 03.23

BurrOaks77 is writing DAILY articles during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, right here on FlashPicks.com. Check out his picks for Saturday's game below and if you're unsure on any of the terminology or markets be sure to read our quick and simple Soccer Betting Guide!

By subscribing you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy and are happy to receive marketing from FlashPicks. 21+

This final is here! France looks to become the first back to back World Cup Champions in 60 years. Argentina looks to get Messi his first World Cup Championship in his final appearance. The biggest game on the planet is ready to kick off!

For Argentina, I don’t know how you could fade Messi or Alvarez. Argentina continue to draw penalty kicks every game. Messi is very good from the spot. He can also score from open play and we all know about Messi’s left footed magic from free kicks. Goals are not his only contribution to the team either. Messi has been able to feed three assists so far, and Alvarez has benefited greatly. Alvarez has four goals this tournament, including a brace in his previous match vs Croatia. Alvarez has proved to be a top quality prospect. He signed with Man City this year as a 22 year old transfer from River Plate in Argentina. Man City is loaded with talent, and It will be interesting to see if Alvarez stays or if City looks to unload him while his value is high.

France is riding high and have overcome a lot of injuries to get their spot in the final. Rumors have been flying all week that Benzema and Nkunku could possibly return for the final match. I personally don’t see it. I am about as big of a Karim Benzema supporter you can find. I think he could definitely make an impact on the field. After all, he is currently holding the Ballon d’Or. However, if I am Deschamps, I want to stick with the team who has gotten me this far. Giroud has been playing well and I wouldn’t want to change the team's chemistry. That said, he was a little off last game. Hitting the woodwork once and pulling an open opportunity wide left. I like him a lot in this game for his hight advantage and the ability to finish aerials with his head.

Another thing we have to mention is that Mbappe and Messi are currently tied at five goals a piece in the golden boot race. If neither scores or they both score the same amount of goals in this game, the winner will be determined by who has the most assists. So the motivation to get on the score sheet for both players is at an all-time high. If the numbers are right, I would look at both of these guys' props for goals and assists.

I see the game taking a little while to get settled. In single elimination finals like this, the first half tends to be cagy and low scoring. This is like a heavyweight title fight. Both teams will likely try to feel each other out and look to minimize mistakes before pushing forward. That said, France has been able to find an early goal in their previous two matches. If either team finds a goal in the first half, I expect things to open up significantly. Ultimately, I think this heads to extra time and/or penalty kicks. I believe that Argentina has an advantage in extras due to their depth on the bench and France’s injuries. I believe that PK’s is basically a coin toss.

It should not surprise you that I am backing France to win. I have been pretty clear this whole tournament that I dislike Messi. He is an elite player, but all the G.O.A.T. stuff has become very annoying. Same with the phrase “Golden Generation” every ten minutes on the broadcast. Regardless of the outcome, I couldn’t be more excited about this match. I have loved covering this tournament for you and I hope you have found my articles helpful. We have cashed some nice bets, but most importantly, I hope I have helped the casual fan enjoy the beautiful game more. If you have enjoyed reading the articles as much as I enjoyed writing them, I will continue to have this kind of content when club football resumes. League play is not even halfway finished for the season and we still have Champions League coming back in February. I look forward to covering every week's biggest matches for you.