Third Place Match: Belgium vs England
Cam: The first match when these two met, was action for the reserved teams. Not sure if we will see the reserves return in the third place game. Players on both sides have said that they intend to win the 3rd place game and leave Russia with a win. Belgium have impressed this tournament reaching the semi-finals before exiting in a 1-0 loss to France. England on the other hand had an easier route to the semifinal taking on a injured Colombia and a lackluster Sweden team. Stocks of the England players have rose there great performances including Harry Maguire, Jordan Pickford and Kieran Trippier.
The first match taught us nothing and a whole new game will be on this Saturday. The England players seemed sluggish in their last match vs Croatia and a few players were carrying knocks. The back three of England will cause problems the front three of Belgium and make it difficult to break down but Belgium have looked deadly on counter-attack. The back three forms into a back five when under pressure and the two in central midfield interchange in going forward and staying back. England on the other hand have not been able to break down teams as easily as Belgium only scoring two goals from open play in the tournament. The English have not had any player able to provide a defense splitting pass and have only relayed on set pieces. The tired legs of England will struggle to breakdown Belgium for the Red Devils to claim win.
Winner: Belgium
Tincho: A much needed rematch to the lackluster game we got during the group stage. England will get their rematch against Belgium in the third place game after falling 1-0 to a wonder goal by Adnan Januzaj. A third place finish would give Belgium their best finish in World Cup history. Meanwhile, England’s last semifinal appearance resulted in fourth place when they lost to Italy in 1990. Overall, I expect to see a much more attacking game from both sides since there is nothing left to play for but pride. Both sides will surely make plenty of rotations giving minutes to their bench players or to some of the youngsters. Without knowing exactly who will step out on the field for each team, it’s difficult to make an in-depth prediction as to how the game will be played. However, I would assume that the game would be a much more attack-minded and free-flowing game with both teams playing a very EPL-like counter attacking football. I believe Belgium has a better squad and will be able to put out a better starting XI than the Three Lions. I believe we’ll see the same winner as in the group stage.
Winner: Belgium
Quinn: I think both of these teams deserve to have the honor of finishing top 3. Of course, finishing third is nowhere near the glory of winning it all but it is still better than most can say. They both had fantastic runs in their own way with heartbreaking semi final losses. It would have been awesome to see England against France in the final as that match has tons of history, but I will happily settle for this Belgium v England match. Hazard has played extremely well and I don’t see that coming to a halt in their final game of the tournament. In my opinion, De Bruyne played a little sloppy in the semi final game against England. He gave up a few balls that shouldn’t be given up in a game of that magnitude, he is going to come out hungry for one last win. I don’t think we have seen our last goal from Harry Kane either. It won’t be a breeze for either team, but I can see this game ending in Belgium’s favor even with Pickford playing as well as he has.
Winner: Belgium
World Cup Final: France vs Croatia
Cam: Who would have thought of this? Croatia reach their first ever final and France their third in 20 years. France have been favorites in every match they have played and for good reason. Hugo Lloris has proved to be one of the best keepers at the tournament and in the world. A young back line will support France for years to come, a strong field has a the power in the world and a front line that would make any team envy. Kylian Mbappe has captured the highlights as his raise has grown from star in Europe to world superstar. The French can play defensively and take their chances on the break or hold possession and play out from the back. Croatia on the other side are the more tested of the two sides having played 120 minutes in each of their last three games. Luka Modric may be on his way to the golden ball but he has other world stars around him for support. Ivan Rakitic, Mario Mandzukic, and Ivan Perisic have performed at the highest levels in Europe and have excelled at this tournament. A never say die attitude has propelled them into this position after trailing in their last three games an coming out on top.
Both teams play a similar 4-2-3-1 that can shift into a 4-3-3. For France, it is lop sided up with Grezimann and Giroud together with Mbappe wide right. For Croatia, Perisic pushes to left wing and Rebic on the right. Croatia like to push its’s wing-backs forward compress the space upfront and open chance on the edge of the box or cross the middle with wingers from opposite side coming in. There will adjustments by both coaches mid game to breakdown the other, both managers have done this in prior games. The speed and experience of France will cause difficulties. The pain of the Euro 16 loss is still in their heart and they want to enjoy their holiday this time according to Paul Pogba. Finals are always defensive and I feel this french defense is less likely to break. France were my pick at the start of the tournament, only makes sense to stay with my original pick of Les Blues.
Winner: France
Quinn: You can never be 100% sure of who will win a match at this stage. Unless its FC Barcelona against your Sunday league team. However, the odds are in France’s favor as they have played extremely well throughout the span of this thrilling tournament. Not to mention, Croatia have gone into extra time in each of their last 3 matches. That hasn’t stopped them though. The experience of midfielders Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic make it nearly impossible to think they don’t stand a chance at the title. With Mario Mandzukic and Ivan Perisic constantly attacking the opponents goal like they’ve done all tournament, anything can happen. On the other hand, France is just far too skilled. Kylian Mbappe has made himself into one of the top players in the World Cup, and he’s only 19 years old. His future is very, very bright. Paul Pogba has taken on a strong defensive stance and I really like what I see and that isn’t including the likes of Umtiti and Varane holding down the back. Croatia has been one of my favorite teams all World Cup, so it pains me to put my money on the opposing side. With that being said, I think we will see a very happy French side and a depleted and tired out Croatian side at the end of Sunday’s final game. I don’t think this result will be in any way easy for France. Croatia will fight hard till the final whistle blows, but I think they’ll come up just short of lifting the trophy.
Winner: France
Tincho: The game we’ve all been waiting for!!! Four long years in the making and we finally have the game that will determine the best team in the World. France had been mentioned as one of the potential winners before the start of the tournament but there were many question marks surrounding Deschamps men leading others to go with a safer bet in Brazil or Germany. During the past month, Griezmann and Co. have silenced the critics and are now 90 minutes away from their second World Cup in history.
Croatia have been the team that has won our hearts throughout the course of the World Cup. A talented and experienced side that many believed could make a run but not many of us expected them to be where they’re at today. To win the World Cup, one requires a bit of luck and leadership through those turbulent times. Croatia has had both. Two penalty shootouts in which Subasic came out as the hero despite picking up an injury against Russia. Along with great leadership from their veterans such as Ivan Rakitic, Mario Mandzukic and of course, Luka Modric.
After losing the Euro in front of their home fans, I believe this French side matured a lot more as a team. They went into that Euro as a group of young guys who were taking part in their first major tournament or in Griezmann’s case, their first major tournament as a crucial part to the team. France has proved me wrong time and time after time over the course of this tournament. They showed they can be a wall defensively thanks to the center back partnership of the tournament in Umtiti and Varane. Their midfield itself can win them the game like we saw against Belgium. Kante can single handedly cover the entire Pacific Ocean. Pogba and Matuidi bring in that physicality in the midfield needed to recover the ball. Despite not scoring, Giroud has been great as a target for France up top and his ability to create for his teammates is often overlooked. To put them over the top, Griezmann and Mbappe are World class talent that can create danger at any given point.
I think most fans would love to see Croatia win since we all love the underdog narrative. At the end of the day, I don’t see an area on the field in which Croatia can be superior. Fight and determination will only take you so far in a World Cup. I think Croatia has exceeded any expectations we had coming in to this tournament and they should hold their heads up high. Those tired legs will weigh them down like an anchor especially when you have the likes of Mbappe, Griezmann and Pogba running at you. I think overall, France is just the superior team from start to finish. Unless France pulls a France, they should be our next champions of the World.
Winner: France
