After great matches and unexpected results, FIFA world cup 2018 has come to an end. The final is just around the corner, to be played on 15th July, 2018 in Moscow, and the entire world is excited to know who will win the 2018 FIFA champions title
France seems to have an upper hand in the final match today, for they have been FIFA winners in 1988. Croatia are the first time finalists in FIFA World Cup. The last time Croatia performed well was the year 1998, when they played semi finals against France and lost it !
About Croatia Football Team
Croatia has a population of around just 40 lakhs, who are supporting there country wholeheartedly, while the rest of the world is supporting France.
It is interesting to note that Croatia has been affected by Civil War ever since people could remember. These people trained themselves in football, all by themselves to overcome their pain of Civil War. Over the years Croatia improved in football and today, they are in the finals!
About France Football Team
France team was found in 1904, the same year when FIFA was founded. The first FIFA goal was also made by France. In fact, football is the most popular sport in France with the largest number of licenced players, making it the national sport there. Today, France ranks 7th in World football rankings and Croatia ranks 20th.
It would be interesting to see if France, who is being viewed as a strong team gets a tough competition from Croatia, who is being viewed as an amateur, or wins easily. Audiences at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow are going to witness the historic FIFA 2018 Finals, in which none of the recent years’ winners have qualified!
Ahead of the game, here are all the statistics and information that you need to know.
Venue for 2018 FIFA Finals
The final will be played in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, which was opened in 1956 and has a capacity of 80,000 people. The Luzhniki Stadium hosted the 1980 Olympic Games and the 2008 Champions League final, when Manchester United did beat Chelsea on penalties.
Match Ball for 2018 FIFA
The FIFA 2018 match ball, Telstar 2018 is a special match ball made by Adidas. The FIFA finals will be played with Telstar 2018, which was used earlier in FIFA during the years 1970 to 1974.
Referee for the 2018 FIFA final match
Argentinian referee Nestor Pitana, with his assistants Hernan Maidana and Juan Pablo Belatti, will officiate the Final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, which is to be played between France and Croatia on Sunday.
Past Performances in FIFA World Cup
Games:
France Win 33 ,Draw 13, Lose 19
Croatia Win 11 ,Draw 4 ,Lose 7
Appearances:
France 15
Croatia 5
Best finish:
France – winner (1998)
Croatia – 3rd (1998)
2014 performance:
France – quarter-finals
Croatia – group stage
Head to head matches:
Head-to-head:
France 3 wins, 2 draws
Croatia 0 wins, 2 draws
Recent meetings:
France 0-0 Croatia (2011)
Croatia 2-2 France (2004)
Coaches:
France football coach Didier Deschamps, who had a distinguished playing career as a defensive midfielder for Les Bleus. The 49-year-old lifted the 1998 World Cup on home soil as well as the 2000 European Championship in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Croatia football coach Zlatko Dalic was also a defensive midfielder in his playing days, but never earned an international cap. He was previously an assistant coach for the Croatia Under-21 team.
Team captains:
Hugo Lloris is the captain and goalkeeper of France team. He was first capped in 2008, and is the team’s support and strength since then. He always remains calm, on and off the pitch, which will be valuable assets for France in final match.
The Croatian skipper Luka Modric, who is the captain of Croatian football team, has been one of the standout players in this tournament. He is the best candidate to break the famous duopoly France and lift the 2018 FIFA World Cup for Croatia.
Best players:
France - Kylian Mbappe.
The 19-year-old boy is so fast, that he has arrived at the world stage to play the 2018 FIFA finals. Here’s a chance to prove that one day he will be the world's top player. And there is no need to mention that all eyes will be on him in the finals!
Croatia - Luka Modric.
The team captain and the best player for Croatian team, has a lot of expectations from people supporting his team. He has a fair chance to be the player of the tournament this year. If Croatia wants to win the FIFA world cup for the first time, then Luna will be the key player for Croatia football team.
Predictions for the final face off in FIFA 2018
On the basis of statistics, It's the underdog against the favourite playing the finals of FIFA 2018. All the signs are pointing towards France triumph.
But closely observing the entire tournament, one thing is sure that it had been very unpredictable.
It might be possible that the first time qualifiers get crowned in Moscow as the FIFA 2018 winners and make Croatia proud of them!
Keep calm and watch the FIFA 2018 Finals!