Getty Kylian Mbappe leads the youth movement for France.
The World Cup heats up this weekend, as Round of 16 matchups are beginning to take shape. France are the winners of Group C, and they’ll start their run to the final against Argentina, who were runners-up in Group D.
Come on, did you really think we’d keep going without Messi?
France vs. Argentina Date, Time & Location
France will take on Argentina on June 30th at Kazan Stadium. The match will kick off at 10 a.m. Eastern and air on Fox in the United States.
France played their opening match, a 2-1 win over Australia, at Kazan Stadium.
There are a total of four games played in Kazan Stadium during the group stage, including Spain’s nervous win over Iran and Colombia’s dismissal of Poland from the tournament.
France vs. Argentina Odds & Prediction
BetOnline has posted opening odds, and France is favored by .25 with the total set at two goals.
It could not have been more dramatic for Argentina. In their first match, a Messi penalty miss results in a draw against Iceland. In their second match, Willy Caballero makes an awful mistake to start a blowout loss. But in their finale, Messi put one in and Argentina defeated Nigeria 2-1. They escaped the group by the narrowest of margins, dodging rumors of mutiny along the way.
Now the experienced Albiceleste take on France, who, unlike Argentina, cruised through the Group Stage.
France have the fourth-best odds to win the World Cup, priced at +800 by Bovada before Tuesday’s action. They cruised through Group C, only allowing one goal in three group games. They only scored three, but showed plenty of flair and creativity in the attacking third. Olivier Giroud, added to the starting lineup in the team’s second game against Peru, brought an added element in front of goal.
France are loaded with stars, and boast one of the youngest teams in the tournament. Paul Pogba and N’golo Kante play physical at both ends, freeing up space for talent like Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe to break into space.
The youth is a fun contrast with Argentina, who started the oldest World Cup lineup in history against Nigeria. Normally France would be a runaway favorite in their first knockout game, and they’d certainly be favored over Group D participants Nigeria and Iceland. But Argentina are a different beast, and will garner respect from bettors on Messi alone.
That being said, France have the talent and balance to take down Messi and Argentina.
Way Too Early Prediction: 3-1 France