World Cup 2018 Final (July 15) Preview – France Vs. Croatia: Time Start, Channel, Match Facts

France and Croatia will face off in the FIFA World Cup Final this Sunday, and here is what you need to know.

FIFA World Cup Final Preview

The final will start at 11am EST and will be played in Moscow, Russia. The game will air on Fox Sports. France are considered the heavy favorites to win, as this will be Les Bleus’ third World Cup title game appearance, after 1998 — they year they hosted and won the tournament — and 2006, when they lost to Italy on penalties. This year, they beat Belgium 1-0 in Tuesday’s semi-final.

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Meanwhile, Croatia will be playing in their first-ever World Cup final after earning a surprising, 2-1 comeback victory over England in Wednesday’s semi-final. Croatia — the second-smallest country to ever reach the World Cup final, after Uruguay — won all three of its group stage games this year, only one of three national teams to do so, and this is their fifth time participating in the tournament, the other four times coming in the last 20 years. They even defeated Argentina 3-0!

France struggled in the first round but ultimately improved in the later stages of the tournament. Antoine Griezmann, teenager Kylian Mbappe and Samuel Umtiti will likely prove to be some of the strongest players on the French squad, while Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic, Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic have proven to be some of Croatia’s most threatening players.

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French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has also been stellar for his team, and could probably continue his strong performance streak on Sunday, and Paul Pogba has also been a major asset on defense.

France also lost the UEFA Euro 2016 final in Paris to Portugal, so Sunday’s game could also be their opportunity to redeem themselves following that brutal defeat.

Article by Pablo Mena