A clash of the behemoths awaits in the World Cup 2022 final at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on Sunday, as reigning champions France lock horns with Argentina.
La Albiceleste advanced to their sixth World Cup final courtesy of a 3-0 semi-final triumph over Croatia, as Julian Alvarez struck twice following Lionel Messi's penalty.
Meanwhile, Didier Deschamps's side brought Morocco's historic run to a grinding halt with a 2-0 win one day later, with Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani on target.
Les Bleus now set out to become just the third nation in history to win back-to-back World Cups, as Argentina attempt to spoil the party and add a third trophy to the cabinet following their successes in 1978 and 1986.
Ahead of Sunday's final, Sports Mole has taken on the task of picking a combined XI from both squads, using only players expected to be available for the match.
While France number one Hugo Lloris has come under a wave of criticism in recent months, his counterpart Emiliano Martinez is about to mark his meteoric rise from the Arsenal doldrums to starting in a World Cup final. The Argentine boasts more clean sheets at the tournament so far, but Lloris - the most-capped goalkeeper in the history of the World Cup - demonstrated his lasting qualities to keep Morocco at bay and earns a spot in our XI.
Benjamin Pavard will forever be remembered for his wonder strike against Argentina at the 2018 World Cup, but he has since been relegated to the bench by Jules Kounde. The Barcelona man still has a lot to learn as a right-back, though, and Nahuel Molina - who has one goal and one assist at the tournament so far - earns a place in our XI. On the other side, Theo Hernandez has filled in admirably for brother Lucas Hernandez at left-back, providing two assists and opening the scoring in some style against Morocco, so the AC Milan defender beats Nicolas Tagliafico and Marcos Acuna to a spot here.
Illness continues to bedevil France ahead of Sunday's final, with both Raphael Varane and Ibrahima Konate now understood to have picked up a bug. The former is reportedly not suffering as badly as his Liverpool counterpart and could still feature in the match, and he also fends off Dayot Upamecano to a spot in our team. Alongside him is the forgotten man Nicolas Otamendi, who has been one of the standout centre-backs in Qatar with 3.3 aerial duels won per game and a 92.2% pass accuracy.
Selecting a midfield general was a relatively simple task, with Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni taking to the World Cup as seamlessly as he has to life at the Bernabeu - scoring a cracker of a goal against England in the quarter-finals and putting in 1.7 tackles per game - and he beats Rodrigo De Paul to a place here.
However, one Argentine does waltz his way into the XI in the form of Benfica's Enzo Fernandez, whose performances in Qatar could lead to the next £100m+ transfer amid links with some of Europe's most esteemed clubs. The 21-year-old has one goal and one assist at the tournament, while also averaging two tackles per game and completing 88% of his passes thus far.
Now onto the player who has created more chances for his teammates than any other man at the 2022 World Cup. Only a few months ago, Antoine Griezmann could not get a game for Atletico Madrid as the Rojiblancos attempted to avoid triggering a fee for a permanent deal, but the 31-year-old has three assists to his name at the World Cup, averages 3.5 key passes per match and did his defensive duties with due diligence against Morocco.
Griezmann's inventiveness have been gold dust for the duo of Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappe, both of whom are still in the hunt for the Golden Boot. The former's four goals at the tournament have seen him surpass Thierry Henry at the top of the French men's charts, while the spirited Mbappe has made the net ripple five times and set up two more for his teammates as he prepares to face his equally prolific Paris Saint-Germain teammate.
Julian Alvarez deserves a mention after also bringing up a quartet of strikes at the World Cup, but Argentina's leading luminary Lionel Messi could bring the curtain down on his World Cup career with the greatest honour of them all. In his six games so far, the 35-year-old has scored a joint-high five goals, as well as providing three assists, and even the neutrals may join in with the celebrations if he ends a record-breaking 26th World Cup appearance with a winners' medal around his neck.
Read more on Argentina vs France
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- How France could line up against Argentina
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