Following on from our effort to provide the very few reader here with a Who Cares Guide to every World Cup game, we offer up our Who Cares Guide to the World Cup Round of 16 match between France v Argentina.
Knockout football is finally here, which means that teams can no longer progress on Yellow Cards, nor pass the ball among themselves for a solid 15 minutes, and there’s likely to be the occasional penalty shoot out.
Happily it usually means the games get tighter and more defensive as there’s more to ply for and the 0-0 draw returns to the fore.
But the casual reader and World Cup bandwagoner or Football cynic doesn’t have time to preview all the games, which is why we have compacted them all into a shortened form so you can impress fellow family and friends with your new found World Cup Round of 16 knowledge.
This time it is for the big France v Argentina Round of 16 clash.
GAME 1 – SAT 0:00 (AEST) – FRANCE v ARGENTINA
THE WHO CARES QUALIFYING STORY
France easily topped Group C, disposing of Australia and Peru and participating in their scoreless match against Denmark, a result which was good enough for both teams. Have been solid if not spectacular, but who knows with their value added squad which directions they’ll go in.
Argentina barely deserved, and barely made the World Cup Round of 16 stage, grabbing a late goal against Nigeria to seal qualification. Talk of unrest within the team, talk that Messi is effectively running the show, and Messi himself looking more and more frustrated means that an exit here wouldn’t surprise.
FRANCE – 1st Group C – 7pts – GD +2
Scored the fewest goals of all the teams who topped their group with just three.
ARGENTINA – 2nd Group D – 4pts – GD -2
One of only two teams to qualify with a negative goal difference. Conceded the most goals of any second placed team.
WHO CARES HISTORY
Head to Head – Argentina 4 France 0 Draw 0
Last Match – France 0 Argentina 2 – 2009 Friendly
WHO CARES FOR A BET?
RESULT – France $2.35 Argentina $3.30 Draw $3.00
TO QUALIFY – France $1.63 Argentina $2.25
OUR BEST BET – France to win and Both team score @ $5.75
WHO CARES WHAT WE THINK?
What we think will happen…
France will qualify with a 2-1 win
What will probably happen..
No one will score in 90 minutes, and then Messi will conjure something up in the 112th minute.
What our animal tipster Muttstradamus thinks…
France to win
What our small children think…
Argentina to win.
WHO CARES ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE?
What to watch out for…
Messi gets the first chance to fire off his skills in the great Ronaldo v Messi sideshow
About time Pogba or Griezmann take this World Cup by the scruff of the neck.
Hernandez falling over any chance he gets.
Some more of Maradona’s fine goal celebration if Argentina win.
Finishing with…. a match preview Haiku
Messi looking glum
Argentines in disarray
Taken over French
