After a mini break action of the second round will resume today in 2018 FIFA World Cup. A couple of exciting games are in store for all the football fans around the world. It promises to be a fantastic night of football in Russia. In the first game of the day Argentina will take on tournament favourite France and later on Uruguay will play against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.
In my opinion, France and Uruguay are favourites to win their respective contest. First, analyze five reasons why France could win against Argentina.
#France
Didier Deschamps team is the dark horse to lift the Title in Russia. They have all the bases covered.
Strong defence line
France has fantastic defence line comprises with their captain Hugo Lloris, Varane, Hernandez. All of them are in a terrific form and has a great sense of the game. In the league stage of the competition, France only conceded 1 goal. It is the testimony of their defensive ability. It won't be easy for Argentina to break them down. The Likes of Aguero, Higuain, Pavon are not in a best of forms either.
Kante factor
Chelsea’s star Kante is a key player for France in the defensive midfield position. He is strong, destructive and can unsettle any opposition on his day. He has the ability to run tirelessly right throughout the 90 minutes of a match. On Saturday his duty will be to stop Messi from creating any positive impact in the match. A job that he has done with success for his club in the champions league. Deschamps will look to stop Messi with zonal marking.
Pogba factor
He his one of the best midfielders in the world at the moment. The United star has superb control over the ball. Pogba has the ability to score from distance and particularly good in dead ball situations. He his a key component of the France team.
Fantastic forward line
France has scored only 3 goals in the tournament so far. It is a worrying sign for the French fans no doubt. But having said that likes of Griezmann, Mbappe can turn any game with their magical skills. Both these players had a terrific season for their respective clubs. There is no reason why they can't replicate the same for France on Saturday. On the other hand, Argentina's back line hasn't looked convincing at all in the competition so far. It won't be easy for Sampaoli's side to tackle these talented French strikers.
fAgility
What worries Sampaoli most ahead of this crucial knock out match is the speed that France generates. The average age of the French players in this World Cup is 25. On the other hand, the average age of Argentina’s side is 30. Javier Mascherano, Nicolas Otamendi, Mercado are not known for handling pace well. At times they struggled to stop Musa on the other night against Nigeria.
Let's now look at another match of the day between Uruguay and Portugal.
Why Uruguay
Oscar Tabarez’s side has been playing like a well-oiled machine in the tournament. Uruguay has won all three games in the group stage without conceding any goal. It is a fantastic achievement. Godin will lead the back line along with Muslera and Gimenez against Portugal on Saturday.
Uruguay's main talisman Luis Suarez and his partner in crime Cavani are in a fantastic goalscoring form. Luiz Suarez has scored 7 World Cup goals for Uruguay second only to Oscar Miguez. He will definitely like to surpass his fellow countryman in this game.
On the other hand, Portugal is basically a one-man team. They depend heavily on Cristiano Ronaldo. He hasn't got enough support from his team-mates. The Supporting play of Portugal hasn't been good so far in the competition. In the league games, they struggled even against Morocco and Iran. Hence, Uruguay is a firm favourite to win this crucial game against Portugal.
