Spain vs. Argentina PREDICTIONS! Who will win the World Cup? | ESPN FC

I'm sure you know by now, Sunday we'll see the World Cup final.Spain take on Argentina, the best team in Europe against the best team in South America.The Argentina fans in Times Square.It's been horrible weather for them over the last 24 hours, but they are very much looking forward to being the first team to defend their title since 1962.The game of our lives, says the front page of ASS, the sports newspaper in Madrid.Sanz, you're going to the final.

How are you feeling?

Hopefully, yes.Hopefully?I'm feeling confident.Why?If Argentina can play a long game, which is what tried to do all the other games, to, you know, put the game in the last half an hour, the last 15 minutes, I think Argentina has a really good chance.Even knowing that Spain is right now one of the... or the best team when it has the ball, because nobody can manage the ball like Spain.

And I don't think you can compete against Spain doing that.Spain takes the position of the ball and then without the ball they have the best high pressure of the tournament.So they do both things very, very well.So I think Argentina is going to set the initiative.I think the initiative will be on the Spanish side and Argentina is going to wait a little bit tactically.I think that would be the approach.

But if Argentina can put it into the physical, just as Rodri said, and win the duels, in which Argentina is very good.And make the game long, Argentina has the opportunity to be champion again.

Is that not a dangerous tactic though, Jürgen?Because this is a property.You know, you look at Egypt, you look at England, you look at Cape Verde, they're at that level.Spain, obviously, we saw against France, took it to another level.And if you're playing the long game, you could find yourself well behind, with not enough time left to try and make it up.

Well, as long as Spain doesn't get the first place.Right.But it will be an extreme mental game.It will be a mental battle.Now, obviously, Asante said it rightfully, they will go very aggressively against the Spanish side.The Spanish side will... will depend on how they react to it.

Hopefully they don't react to it too much, because then it starts working here.They obviously have the class, Spain, to step -by -step outplay you.There is no other team in the tournament that is so fantastic with the movement of the ball through the midfield than Spain.It's incredible to watch that and to analyse that as well.but then there's no other team in the tournament that can kind of break you in a split moment because of the genius of Messi.You know, one moment is enough for him, a free kick, a brilliant pass, and suddenly you're a goal down.

I think this is a deserved final for both teams.

Let's not forget that after the final was set, Frank said that Spain would win by four goals to nil.Do you stand by that?

I do, I do, for the reason that I think the reality of of the World Cup has to come out for Argentina.They've been very much in the margin to get out for so many games.So because of their talent, everybody's talent, of course Messi, but the fact they had the fighting spirit, they never gave up, allowed them to carry on for so many times, but by craziness, but it's against Spain.And Spain is going to be not as naive comparing to other teams.As we talked about, as long as Spain doesn't score, if Spain scores the first goal, it can be absolutely dramatic for Argentina because they're going to try to get back, they're going to open up, and I'm afraid that Spain's going to score on a second one and maybe a third one.I see it as the Champions League final between Paris Saint -Germain and Argentina.

Milan.Really?Yeah, you have two very good teams.But Inter didn't have a Messi.No, for sure, for sure, that's a good point.But I see Spain being too good.

too strong compared to anybody else.And Argentina got through every time.And Santi also can witness that by really, again, a small margin and like a miracle because of that fantastic genius that Messi is and some others as well doing great.But for me, it's not enough to win against Spain.Spain, you have to be realistic about Spain.They're incredible, they're fantastic.

But don't forget, everybody was talking about France.Who can beat them?Who's going to beat them in this tournament?And all of a sudden they had a bad day against a very good Spanish team.

Yeah, because of Spain.

But that performance apart, Spain, as you rightly said, were decent but not setting the place alight.So they've had one really, really good game at a perfect time against France.They haven't been brilliant all tournament.They've defended really well.Obviously, one goal.But Argentina had a very good game.

When?Argentina have had moments.Argentina have had the most guts and determination and resilience in this tournament.And Lionel Messi and one or two others.Argentina I don't think will be frightened of the fact that they're not going to have a lot of the ball.And they're just going to wait for moments in the game that Spain cough a pass up or they can win the ball back and then in that counter -attack make something happen.

Or keep the game tight, as Santi said, for 60 minutes, 70 minutes, and then hope to spend a little time.

If you let Argentina play, Argentina plays very well because it has a lot of very, very good midfielders as well.It's not only Messi.we used to talk about Messi and that's fair because he's the best player in the world, but his teammates are quite good and some of them... are not midfielders, but they have the soul of a midfielder, like Julián, for example, he comes back and he plays as a midfielder.And the players on the flanks, they are more centre midfielders too.

If they're so great, why haven't they played well so far?

I don't think you cannot play well.I don't agree with your statement.

We feel a bit of bitterness in the question.

The brilliant part of the Argentinian side is also that every time they go down a goal or they're getting kind of... in a difficult situation, they always have an incredible reaction of stepping it up two levels.So sometimes it really feels like they're waiting for that.They're waiting for the second part of the game, and now we bring it up another level.And then if we need it, another level as well.Yeah, but Jürgen is against Spain.That's my concern.

It happened in every other game, but that's Spain.

What you mean, and I understand, is that Spain, if they score, they're not going to retreat.

No, they're going to go for it.They're going to keep playing.

But they have to be perfect, Spain.Because they weren't perfect in the first game.They drew, they were quite insipid, they were quite boring actually, and we were worried about them.Against Belgium, they weren't fantastic.France, they were great.I know what Frank means, for Argentina to step too far, to gain too far, this is the one where they really just hit the wall and Spain go and win.

But Spain have to be excellent to win tomorrow.They can't drop their level, which they may do, because we've seen them drop a level.They haven't been outstanding every single game.Otherwise, they would have been favourites playing France.You have another scenario, what if Argentina scores?Go first, yeah.

A lot of speculation that maybe some would like to see Argentina win, not only Argentinians.Some questionable officiating we've seen from some throughout this tournament.Laporte was asked about that, say, in recent matches.And we've seen things that really surprised us, actions that were allowed to slide, especially when Argentina, they're a team that they like to leave a mark on their opponent.That sort of thing shouldn't be allowed in football.It's the referee's job to keep a handle on these things so the situation doesn't get out of hand.

If one or two players are allowed to act that way, the match descends into chaos.I think I speak on behalf of...Let's hope we're sat here tomorrow.There's nothing in here.

I think nothing about...Yeah, yeah, yeah.It's almost a book.It was almost a book, and I read it...

A book of expecies.But why...What is...That was Laporte, right?Yes.

I mean, come on.You play any top side, you're going to expect physicality.Correct.

Right.The suggestion is that FIFA have treated Argentina leniently compared to other sides.Bias narrative.

I think you could argue that Messi got lucky in Matchday 1 not to be sent off.Yes, that's true.You could debate the Egypt goal, that's subjective.There certainly wasn't anything to note in the England game, which was good because we were talking about a great comeback.But you play any South American side, Any South American side, it's going to be physical and they're going to try and get in your head.

You have to accept that.Exactly.Look when you play Atletico Madrid, you know you're going to get a different type of game than you play Barcelona.You can't be worried about that.It's just putting something in the referee's mind, isn't it?That's what he's trying to do.

But we all know it's nonsense.It's part of the game, OK?As long as there isn't a foul.

I mean, they were counting the foul against England.There were 35 fouls.

The ref didn't say anything.You have the loss of the game.

Exactly.Jürgen, how do you prepare for it when you have players saying those sort of things?

Oh no, they notice that but it's no big deal.Right.No big deal.I mean, obviously the Argentinian team is known that they're right often at the back.edge.They live that in South America.

When you look at the South American qualifiers, it sometimes looks like war.When you really play in Colombia...Copa America is war.

The Copa America games.

It's insane.So you bring that culture into a World Cup and then you're still right on the edge.Like Simeone in the beginning of the first 20 minutes against England, he was right on the edge.He didn't get a yellow.He did five, six fouls.He should have gotten a yellow at least after the third foul.

But he knew also where to step back then.

But isn't that the beautiful thing about the World Cup, that all these cultures come together?Absolutely, yes.

That's what I mean.There's no better team prepared than Spain.

Which is refreshing, because we are going to a worldwide football where everybody plays the same.And we used to see England playing differently than Germany, than France, than of course South America.And to see South American teams coming with their culture and their differences, it's up to the referee to adjust.But that's it.But otherwise, yeah, coming ball is a war, that's for sure.We have seen that, but that's good for the worker, because we want to see different football.

You go back to the 90th final.How do you prepare for those sort of things, when you know it's going to be a war on the pitch, Jürgen?

You just talk to them, they are aware of it, they show them the examples throughout the tournament, and they just tell the players, keep your cool.That's all you can do.And they know it's the game of their lives.They are anxious themselves, and game day you leave them alone, because it's just game day.Give me that moment now and then you're just outside...

France against Paraguay, Didier Duchamp took to the players.You know what you can expect from the Paraguayan players.They're going to trick, they're going to try to make you get booked.So keep your coolness and make sure you work with your football.That's part of the game.

But it's easier said than done.Maybe in that game against Paraguay, that's the way to go.moment when Ulysses kind of...

Oh, yeah, he could have been ripped.

And that's why we didn't see the same Ulysses anymore in the tournament.Because he was just happy to get off the field healthy.

Another leveller, in a sense, would be that a lot of these Argentinian players have experience of a World Cup final win 40 years ago, which Spain don't.So there's a pressure side of it as well, obviously, going in.How are they going to handle that?

Is there the same amount of pressure going into this final as there was four years ago?

No, it's different.I think Argentina has the same drive to win the World Cup, but it doesn't have the same pressure to do it.So that's good for Argentina.

To have that drive is incredible.Yeah, it is.We have to say it's incredible.That's what we were saying after the English said every World Cup winner usually goes home early.

It's probably going to be Messi's last World Cup, is it?He's not going to play another World Cup at 43.

Who's going to say no?I mean, it's up to him.

Santi, apparently you have to go with your other friends now on the portals.What's going to happen in this final?

I already told you the last time we were here.

I wasn't listening.

1 -1, extra time, and Argentina's going to win on penalties.

Wow.All right.Thanks, Santi.Thank you.

Extra time, Santi.Extra time.People getting cramped.People getting cramped.It's been awful.

So we're going to see you on TV tomorrow on the stands?

Oh, yes.

I'm going to pay this and I broke it.Are you going to be behind Infantino?Yeah, big star.Bye -bye, Santi.Next to Arsene Wenger?Is that going to be you?

ESPN FC has a special preview show.Unfortunately, Sansi won't be with.Are you going to assume you're going to the final as well?Yeah.Oh, no.Oh, my God.

On ESPN 2.