Just the little detail that France wont win.The first one with the correct prediction, just the 3rd replay.
Predict the World Cup final
- Thread starter RW2
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
I think this squad has reached a higher level of maturity than the Euro and has a balanced team now. It'll be a close 1-0 win for France imo.
France 4 - 0 Croatia
I think it will be a proper lesson. France are hitting form and Croatia really shouldn't be there.
The French midfield will match Modric and overrun the rest, and they will have no answer to Mbappe's pace on the flanks. They've done a full 120 minutes 3 times in a row and only have 3 days to rest.
I think it will be a proper lesson. France are hitting form and Croatia really shouldn't be there.
The French midfield will match Modric and overrun the rest, and they will have no answer to Mbappe's pace on the flanks. They've done a full 120 minutes 3 times in a row and only have 3 days to rest.
I think France will win, first - they have a younger team but with experience, second - because most of the players aren't - French-French 
they will not surrender without a fight , third - they have very good players with the future Ballon D'or in the team, they are faster. Croatia have Modric and Radisic and France have Pogba, Mbappe, Griezmann, Varane (playing reallly good) and kante
they will not surrender without a fight , third - they have very good players with the future Ballon D'or in the team, they are faster. Croatia have Modric and Radisic and France have Pogba, Mbappe, Griezmann, Varane (playing reallly good) and kanteWell that's true. It's pick your poison really
Croatia shouldn’t be there? As opposed to who?
He's just bitter.
Croatia have been superb in this tournament and I hope they beat France.
France 3-0. I think Kante will be all over Modric, Pogba will be first to everything and they'll dominate the only area where Croatia have similar talent level. I expect them to score fairly early and get a 2nd somewhere between 40-60 mins and then just have fun on the counter.
Too much to ask of Croatia after going through 3 lots of extra time and being physically and emotionally knackered. France got an extra days rest and haven't had to run too hard. I don't see much of a contest TBH.
Too much to ask of Croatia after going through 3 lots of extra time and being physically and emotionally knackered. France got an extra days rest and haven't had to run too hard. I don't see much of a contest TBH.
The tired aspect re Croatia doesn't really influence my thought on this. It was a concern going into the England game for many yet they looked more lively the longer the game went on. Fresh or not France for me beats this team everytime. I don't rate this Croatia team, I think France does them 2 nil.
Why shouldn't they be there?
Neither should England. Our side of the bracket was extremely weak. Croatia needed extra time in every game they played. Credit to them for getting to the final but there is no way they're the second strongest team.
I know a lot of people thought England were "arrogant", but not a peep on the Croatian arrogance?
'The national broadcaster, HRT, started its post-match programme with presenters and studio guests jumping around and chanting, while Robert Prosinecki, a member of Croatia’s bronze-winning side in 1998, said: “We murdered the English in the second half!”. Josko Jelicic, Croatia’s self-styled answer to Gary Lineker, added: “They [England] have nothing to cry about – they were knocked out by the future world champions. We played a mature game, the English were unbelievably inferior”.
The Vecernji list newspaper went with the headline “We knocked the English down, Croatia are in the World Cup final!”, with Zeljko Jankovic writing how Croatia and France will now decide “who plays the best football on the planet at the moment”. It turned out to be rhetorical as he answered it himself by adding: “It’s Croatia, don’t even doubt that!”
Vecernji’s website devoted an unusual amount of space to gloating over the fate of the losing team, with headlines such as “Football’s not coming home”, “The arrogance hit them back”, “The English are sore losers” and even published a photo gallery titled “Look how the English cry after losing to Croatia” with pictures of downbeat players and fans.
“France, who are better than England, can hardly stop them”, wrote Drazen Antolic. “That will be a true final, a top clash between the two sides who have shown the most at the tournament.”
To be honest I never saw that type of arrogance and gloating coming out of England. You'd think they didn't scrape past very average Denmark and Russia teams on penalties or the so-called overrated, terrible English team.
So surely the first game they play a good team in the KO stages is Sunday? Let's see what happens. All of this will come back to bite them as they will be crying on Sunday and making excuses no doubt. France will play them off the park and probably have Croatia with a negative goal difference in the KO stages.
'The national broadcaster, HRT, started its post-match programme with presenters and studio guests jumping around and chanting, while Robert Prosinecki, a member of Croatia’s bronze-winning side in 1998, said: “We murdered the English in the second half!”. Josko Jelicic, Croatia’s self-styled answer to Gary Lineker, added: “They [England] have nothing to cry about – they were knocked out by the future world champions. We played a mature game, the English were unbelievably inferior”.
The Vecernji list newspaper went with the headline “We knocked the English down, Croatia are in the World Cup final!”, with Zeljko Jankovic writing how Croatia and France will now decide “who plays the best football on the planet at the moment”. It turned out to be rhetorical as he answered it himself by adding: “It’s Croatia, don’t even doubt that!”
Vecernji’s website devoted an unusual amount of space to gloating over the fate of the losing team, with headlines such as “Football’s not coming home”, “The arrogance hit them back”, “The English are sore losers” and even published a photo gallery titled “Look how the English cry after losing to Croatia” with pictures of downbeat players and fans.
“France, who are better than England, can hardly stop them”, wrote Drazen Antolic. “That will be a true final, a top clash between the two sides who have shown the most at the tournament.”
To be honest I never saw that type of arrogance and gloating coming out of England. You'd think they didn't scrape past very average Denmark and Russia teams on penalties or the so-called overrated, terrible English team.
So surely the first game they play a good team in the KO stages is Sunday? Let's see what happens. All of this will come back to bite them as they will be crying on Sunday and making excuses no doubt. France will play them off the park and probably have Croatia with a negative goal difference in the KO stages.
New Prediction then....
France 2 - 0 Croatia
A relatively comfortable and possibly boring/routine final. Tight first half, France break the deadlock early in 2nd half with someone unusual scoring....I'll say....Kante. Followed by a substitute like Tolisso.
France 2 - 0 Croatia
A relatively comfortable and possibly boring/routine final. Tight first half, France break the deadlock early in 2nd half with someone unusual scoring....I'll say....Kante. Followed by a substitute like Tolisso.
I think France will win and I've wanted them to win from the start but it would also be pretty great if Croatia won.
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Because it's a World cup final, and they're not actually that good?
It'd have been the same with us, but at least we now don't have to hide behind the couch as we'd have got completely outplayed.
It´s funny because it's true
France Vs Croatia.
Got France in the work sweepstake, and it's not a small amount either. Vive la France!
Definitely some with the blinkers on imo. Doesn't conform with the pretty toxic anti-English narrative in here over the past few weeks. Mentioned this in the "Let's all laugh at England" thread, and not a peep.
Croatia have been very arrogant in victory, Modric & Lovren in particular. They also have several unlikable players like Vida, Rebic & Mandzukic, so I hope France smash them.
3-1 France, Mbappe, Matuidi, Griezmann pen, Perisic.
3-1 France, Mbappe, Matuidi, Griezmann pen, Perisic.
Yeah, just a bit. I think France will thrash them but their response to beating England makes me hope France embarrass them.
France should absolutely annihilate Croatia. If they score early it will be a bloodbath. 4-1.
France need to kill the game off early. For some reason the more the game goes on the more Croatia find energy strangely and also confidence. I think a win for France but not a bloodbath like some are predicting. 2-0.
the only position Croatia can match France is the midfield, otherwise France will eat Croatia alive.
Yeah, actually their players and media have came across as disrespectful. Vrsljako too was at it. They showed to be poor winners and I expect them to be poor losers even though they are giving it the bigun right now.
Lovren is a clown. I can't wait until next season and Liverpool fans are slating him again and fans of other teams are laughing at him again.
I can see Kante being all over Modric giving him little to no room to operate and then France will get ahead and then destroy them on the counters/set pieces.
I think this is among the 4-5 most obvious match-ups in the KO stages at this world cup and the most obvious world cup winner of any final of my lifetime.
As far as the stamina aspect with Croatia having played essentially a whole extra game than France with one day less of rest, I think that will have very little effect when all that's left is one game to win the world cup. I just think France is a superior team in all aspects, with the midfield being the only debatable one but even then there's no clear indication that Croatia have a better midfield. I hope Giroud breaks his goalscoring duck on Sunday, because he had plenty of opportunities against Belgium that should have gone in. He will get some of those on Sunday as well.
They beat every team that they faced. Some outright and some on penalties. Its hardly a 2002 South Korea scenario here.Because it's a World cup final, and they're not actually that good?
It'd have been the same with us, but at least we now don't have to hide behind the couch as we'd have got completely outplayed.
I predicted Belgium vs. Croatia final before the tournament and was so nearly correct.
Think France should win but it's just one game, you never know.
Anyone think Russia passed over their PEDs to the Croats after they lost to them? joking dont kill me
Think France should win but it's just one game, you never know.
Anyone think Russia passed over their PEDs to the Croats after they lost to them? joking dont kill me
Shame there's no Crystanbul "I noticed something new" type of gif.
It's Liverpool 2017/18 champions league. (as it would also have been with us)
We should have taken it to 2-0, so if France get going they can storm them.
I really don't want to lose against Croatia, they will use it as a stick in Handball.
I'm torn. Would like a France win for Pogba; but equally it would be good to see a new World Cup winner and not one of the classical 'big boys' win it.
Just hoping for goals I think.
I predict: 3:1 France.
Just hoping for goals I think.
I predict: 3:1 France.
What was exactly disrespectful? Some of that stuff you mentioned was in the heat of the moment and tbh it was a reaction to some of the stuff written and said in English media. Keane was right some were already talking about the final.
Players read and heard that and had a point to prove. And it's happening again here now, talk about us not supposed to be there and being trashed by France.
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Yeah we are really bad aren't we. Sour grapes.Because it's a World cup final, and they're not actually that good?
It'd have been the same with us, but at least we now don't have to hide behind the couch as we'd have got completely outplayed.
Half of Canada would support France surely?It´s funny because it's true
Who is it then? Second strongest team?
It will be a demolition job for France. Their midfield can actually nullify Modric’s 5 lungs and their 3 forwards +Pogba will punish them. Varane and Umtiti will have a field day