KAZAN – Timnas Prancis bakal berhadapan dengan Argentina dalam lanjutan babak 16 besar Piala Dunia 2018. Laga akbar tersebut bakal dihelat di Kazan Arena pada Sabtu 30 Juni 2018 pukul 21.00 WIB. Laga ini tentunya menjadi kesempatan bagus bagi Argentina untuk membuktikan bahwa lolosnya mereka ke 16 besar bukan karena faktor keberuntungan semata.
Seperti diketahui, Argentina melaju ke babak 16 besar dengan susah payah. Lionel Messi dan kolega baru memperoleh tiket ke semifinal usai menumbangkan Nigeria pada matchday terakhir. Ada pun gol kemenangan Argentina dicetak di menit ke-86 via Marcos Rojo. Melihat performa Argentina di fase grup, tim berjuluk Albiceleste itu jelas tidak diunggulkan di laga melawan Prancis.
(Baca juga: Jadwal Pertandingan 16 Besar Piala Dunia 2018 )
Sementara itu, Prancis tampil cukup gagah di fase grup, di mana mereka mampu memuncaki Grup C. Di atas kertas, Prancis lebih difavoritkan untuk bisa memenangkan pertandingan atas Argentina jika menilik pada performa di fase grup dan skuad yang dimiliki. Ditambah lagi, jika melihat catatan pertandingan kedua tim dalam lima laga terakhir, Prancis memiliki torehan lebih baik.
Dalam lima pertandingan terakhir, Prancis tak pernah sekalipun menelan kekalahan. Tim besutan Didier Deschamps itu meraih tiga kemenangan dan dua hasil imbang. Sementara Argentina, tim berjuluk asuhan Jorge Sampaoli itu memperoleh dua kemenangan, dua kekalahan, dan satu hasil imbang dalam lima laga terakhirnya.
Kendati begitu, Prancis tetap tak bisa jemawa, mengingat buruknya rekor pertemuan tim berjuluk Les Bleus itu kontra Argentina. Dari 11 pertandingan yang telah dijalani Prancis melawan Argentina, Les Bleus hanya meraih dua kemenangan. Sementara itu, Argentina enam kali mengalahkan Prancis. Akan tetapi, dalam pertemuan kali ini Prancis diprediksi akan menang dengan skor tipis 2-1.
Berikut prakiraan susunan pemain Prancis vs Argentina:
Prancis (4-2-3-1): Lloris, Hernandez, Umtiti, Varane, Pavard, Pogba, Kante, Matuidi, Griezmann, MBappe, Giroud
Argentina (4-4-2): Armani, Mercado, Otamendi, Rojo, Tagliafico, Perez, Mascherano, Banega, Di Maria, Messi, Higuain
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France's Antoine Griezmann is set to line up against Argentina's Lionel Messi, live on BBC One
France versus Argentina will be one of four World Cup last-16 matches shown live on the BBC.
Lionel Messi and his team-mates will take on Didier Deschamps' side in Kazan at 15:00 BST on Saturday.
The BBC will also show hosts Russia against Spain on Sunday, Belgium's match against Japan on Monday and Sweden v Switzerland on Tuesday.
England's match against Colombia in Moscow on Tuesday will be live on ITV, with commentary on BBC Radio 5 live.
Argentina almost went out in the group stage and needed a late winner from Marcos Rojo to beat Nigeria 2-1 in their final Group D game to finish as runners-up.
Messi, who is playing at his fourth World Cup, is seeking to win the trophy for the first time, after Argentina lost to Germany in the final in Brazil four years ago.
The BBC and ITV are, between them, showing all 64 matches live at the World Cup.
All 33 games from the BBC - including the final in Moscow - will also be available via the BBC Sport VR 2018 FIFA World Cup app.
Users will be able to watch the action direct from the stadium in a fully immersive environment - as if they were actually watching from inside the stadium in their own hospitality box.
Users can also watch BBC TV games in virtual reality with commentary from Match of the Day and follow a live stats dashboard with real-time match information.
There will also be build-up to every live game, match highlights in VR and feature content in 360-degree video.
Live TV World Cup games - the last-16 split (all times BST)
France vs Argentina: TV channel, live stream, squad news & preview
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France and Argentina will battle it out in the first last 16 fixture at the Kazan Arena in a match that features some of the biggest names in football
The first fixture of the last 16 round will be a huge clash between France and Argentina at the Kazan Arena on Saturday June 30.
Argentina were on the verge of being eliminated from the tournament until Marcos Rojo's last-minute goal against Nigeria in their final group game that they won 2-1, while France topped their group despite giving three underwhelming group stage performances.
Les Bleus were one of the favourites going into the tournament but have failed to impress just yet, while Argentina will be pushing to win the competition following their status as runners-up in Brazil four years ago.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the fixture between the two sides.
Game France vs Argentina Date Saturday, June 30 Time 3pm BST / 10am ET Stream (US only) fubo TV (7-day free trial)
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
US TV channel Online stream FOX / Telemundo fubo TV (7-day free trial)
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on a TBC channel.
UK TV channel Online stream TBC TBC
Squads & Team News
Position France players Goalkeepers Areola, Lloris, Mandanda Defenders Hernandez, Kimpembe, Pavard, Mendy, Sidibe, Rami, Umtiti, Varane Midfielders Matuidi, Kante, N'Zonzi, Pogba, Tolisso Forwards Giroud, Griezmann, Mbappe, Lemar, Fekir, Thauvin, Dembele
Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe is expected to come in to the side for Ousmane Dembele, though Olivier Giroud has not secured his spot in the XI and Antoine Griezmann could be deployed down the middle.
Nabil Fekir was impressive after coming off of the bench against Denmark and Djibril Sidibe could be given the start at right-back ahead of Benjamin Pavard.
Potential France XI: Lloris; Sidibe, Varane, Umtiti, Hernandez; Kante, Matuidi; Mbappe, Pogba, Fekir; Griezmann.
Position Argentina players Goalkeepers Guzman, Caballero, Armani Defenders Mercado, Ansaldi, Otamendi, Fazio, Rojo, Tagliafico, Acuna Midfielders Mascherano, Salvio, Biglia, Lo Celso, Banega, Enzo, Meza, di Maria, Pavon Forwards Messi, Dybala, Higuain, Aguero
Reports have emerged that Argentina manager Jorge Sampaoli will be putting out the same starting XI that started against Nigeria to face France, though with Cristian Pavon in for Gonzalo Higuain.
Potential Argentina XI: Armani; Tagliafico, Rojo, Otamendi, Mercardo; Di Maria, Banega, Mascherano, Enzo; Pavon, Messi.
Betting & Match Odds
France are priced at 7/5 to win the tie according dabblebet, while a draw is available at 21/10. A win for Argentina is at 23/10.
Click here to see all of dabblebet's offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.
Match Preview
The last 16 fixture between Argentina and France could very have well been a huge semi-final tie as the two had been pegged to go far in the competition before the tournament started. It has been a topsy-turvy time in Russia for both teams, however, as both sides have failed to live up the expectations placed on them with unconvincing performances against smaller sides.
Argentina had to rely on Nigeria beating Iceland and won only just their final group game, despite this summer being hotly tipped as Lionel Messi's best and final chance to win a World Cup with his country. The South American side failed to gel cohesively against the likes of Iceland and Croatia – drawing 1-1 and losing 3-0 – but were able to secure their spot through a Rojo goal in the dying minutes of stoppage time to win 2-1 against the Super Eagles.
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Manager Sampaoli is treading on thin ice and his position as head coach looked to be in danger when it looked as if Argentina were not to progress. Strange line-up decisions – including not starting Sergio Aguero or Paulo Dybala in the final group game – have raised criticism from Argentina fans.
France have one of the strongest sides in Russia this summer what with the never-ending supply of talent of Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, N'Golo Kante, Paul Pogba and Ousmane Dembele but have failed to prove their worth against their opponents.
Les Bleus managed to win their opening two games by very slim margins – 2-1 against Australia and 1-0 against Peru – and Griezmann has yet to score this World Cup from open play. Questions have already been raised about the France team's ability to coalesce as a side and the fixture against Argentina will be their biggest test yet.
