France or Argentina round of 16 World Cup 2018

You would think Argentina and France have met often in World Cups considering they’ve been regulars, but no. These two teams have played each other twice. The first time was in the inaugural 1930 edition where Argentina won 1-0. The second time was in 1978 where the same team won again, this time 2-1. That’s it. The last time they officially met was in a friendly nine years ago, so it can’t be said they know each other well. Their 2018 World Cup Round of 16 encounter will take place at 16:00 on Saturday in beautiful Kazan.

France: Group C winner (7 points, 3:1 goal difference)

The French came into this World Cup as one of the favorites. Result-wise, everything has been fine. Playing-wise, Deschamps’ men have been underwhelming. Whether that’s intentional or not, we’ll find out on Saturday. France was the host of Euro 2016. Motivated by the crowd, they played attractive football and reached the final, where they lost an ugly game to Portugal. Perhaps Didier Deschamps is afraid of history repeating itself, so he’s being extra careful this time around.

The former World Cup winner is still searching for the perfect lineup. He went without a center forward in game one and when that didn’t work, he introduced Olivier Giroud into the starting lineup for game two. Giroud is a trouble-maker, both in a positive and in a negative way. He’s a player that France needs. Kante, Pogba, Griezmann and Mbappe are irreplaceable, whereas the third midfield member is undecided. Corentin Tolisso, Blaise Matuidi and Thomas Lemar have all got their opportunity to grab a starting role and none of them ran away with it. Varane and Umtiti will be the center back duo. Watching Umtiti trying to stop his Barcelona teammate Leo Messi will be fun. As for the side backs, Djibril Sidibe came back from his injury absence and played 90 minutes against Denmark. Benjamin Mendy made his World Cup debut as well, playing 30 second-half minutes in place of Lucas Hernandez. Hernandez still holds the edge, while it’s 50-50 between Pavard and Sidibe.

Argentina: Group D runner-up (4 points, 3:5 goal difference)

We all know Argentina’s story by now. The supporters are filling up the stadiums, making the team feel right at home, but the players are not giving them what they want. Yes, there’s passion. Yes, there’s desire. Yes, there’s commitment and sacrifice. Yet, that’s not enough. Jorge Sampaoli is as nervous as the players are. The pressure is enormous. When the coach is not handling it, there’s no chance the players will. Just as everyone thought Nigeria had pulled off the upset, Marcos Rojo’s goal saved his team and kept the dream alive. But how long is it going to last?

The issue is much more complex than a Round of 16 qualifications. The expectation is a World Cup win and this is not a team ready to achieve that goal. There were no adjustments made in three games. The same tactics are stubbornly being employed, tactics that have proven to be ineffective. The scoring problem persists regardless of who’s up front and that’s because the system doesn’t work. Messi is predictable and when his teammates are not put in positions to help him, he becomes relatively easy to contain and frustrate. Cristian Pavon for Enzo Perez is one change Jorge Sampaoli definitely needs to make. The Boca Juniors winger is far more dangerous than his River Plate counterpart.

Prediction
Argentina reached the 2014 World Cup final by scraping victories and escaping losses. It might happen again in Russia. However, logic disagrees. France is better and more complete. As long as Messi is stopped and the referee doesn’t succumb to the endless pressure by the crowd and Argentina’s bench, the quarter-finals are well within reach for Les Bleus.