Will Lionel Messi get his crowning moment? Can Kylian Mbappe confirm himself as the next potential greatest player? And will France become the first team since Brazil 60 years ago to go back-to-back in this tournament?
The managers’ team selections are sure to have a big say on which narrative wins out between two teams bookmakers are finding hard to separate.
Check out the lineups below for the showdown at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
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Argentina starting 11
(4-3-3, right to left): 23. E. Martinez (GK) — 26. Molina, 13. Romero, 19. Otamendi, 3. Tagliafico — 7. De Paul, 24. E. Fernandez, 20. Mac Allister — 11. Di Maria, 10. Messi, 9. Alvarez
Injured: None Suspended: None
Head coach Lionel Scaloni’s biggest call centered on whether to bring Angel Di Maria back in for Leandro Paredes in the 4-4-2 formation that beat Croatia.
And he has elected to go with the former Real Madrid and PSG man, although a 4-3-3 is expected to be used today, who was an unused sub for the 2014 final defeat to Germany due to fitness concerns.
Argentina’s only injury doubt was Papu Gomez but he is available and on the bench, while fullbacks Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuna come back into the squad after suspension.
However, the latter has dropped out of the starting XI despite having initially been named in it, with Nicolas Tagliafico his replacement at left-back.
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France starting 11
(4-3-3, right to left): 1. Lloris (GK) — 5. Kounde, 4. Varane, 18. Upamecano, 22. T. Hernandez — 7. Griezmann, 8. Tchouameni, 14. Rabiot — 11. Dembele, 9. Giroud, 10. Mbappe
Injured: None Suspended: None
Deschamps has opted to name Dayot Upamecano alongside Raphael Varane in defence, despite Ibrahima Konate’s outstanding semifinal performance against Croatia.
But his team is expected otherwise, with Adrien Rabiot returning to the midfield after overcoming illness and both Aurelien Tchouameni (hip) and fullback Theo Hernandez (knee) fit enough to start.
Kingsley Coman also takes his place on the bench having shaken off the flu that caused him to miss training on Friday.
And there is, of course, no shock return to the squad for Karim Benzema despite rumours that he might make an appearance earlier this week.
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Argentina vs France World Cup squads
Here are the names on Argentina and France’s World Cup squad lists in Qatar (caps correct as of start of Qatar 2022):
