The showpiece event of the year is nearly here, with just two days before the World Cup final kicks off in Qatar.
Reigning champions France will take on Argentina to be crowned the best team in the world. Both teams will be relying on their own superstar, with Les Bleus counting on Kylian Mbappe and La Albiceleste able to call upon Lionel Messi.
The stage is set for a mouthwatering clash, as the two Paris Saint-Germain team-mates aim for the highest honour in football. Here, Mirror Football looks at what some of the pundits believe will happen at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday.
Roy Keane - Hopeful for Messi
"It’s intriguing, it’s a great final and one to really look forward to. You look at France against Morocco and England and you think they’re not great, but they get the job done. They’ve conceded one goal in those two games and that was a penalty," he told ITV.
"But Argentina, with all the support behind them, the energy of the team and of course Lionel Messi, you would have to say they are slight favourites. We saw glimpses of peak Messi. He’s done it for years and years.
"The guy is fantastic and I love watching him. You know what, I hope they win it, even if it’s just for him. There will be respect there but both teams will fancy their chances. That’s why it’s set up for a brilliant game."
HAVE YOUR SAY! Who will win the World Cup final? Comment below.
Alan Shearer - Messi hands Argentina an edge
"Their coach has done an unbelievable job and you’re right, they can do the hard yards, they can do the dirty work, but every single player at every opportunity looks up and thinks where is Messi? Give the ball to him," he told BBC Sport.
Yes they rely on him a lot, but the manager has done a lot to find that partnership in Álvarez and Messi. He does a lot of his running, and he has to because Messi isn’t as quick as he was, and he doesn’t work as hard as he did.
"But as we saw the other night he’s still got unbelievable brilliance to go past players, those tricky feet, once they get going he’s very very difficult to stop, so it’s going to be fascinating."
Ian Wright - Griezmann will be key
"I did say Argentina from the very start. They've been playing knock-out football from the very start after losing that first game so that got them into the right mindset," he told ITV Football.
"Something's going to have to be done about Antoine Griezmann, the way he can find space, the way he can get Mbappe going, Dembele going. He's in his own box, he's in midfield, he's up-front.
"At some stage, someone's going to have to do something with him because if he's able to find those spaces, he'll create those chances."
Rio Ferdinand - Stars are aligned for Argentina
"The stars are aligned for Messi. He hit 1000 games during this tournament. When the question is asked, who’s the greatest of all-time? Who’s the greatest - Maradona or Messi? He hasn’t won a World Cup, this could be the moment," he told BBC Sport.
"Now you’re thinking about you’ve got two megastars - Messi, could be the handing of the baton to Mbappé if he produces, Mbappé - but there’s so many different subplots to a great game in itself."
Chris Sutton - A mouthwatering clash
We could talk about the all-round game of Antoine Griezmann. The breakout performance of Enzo Fernandez. The saves by Hugo Lloris. The finishes by Julian Alvarez. But this World Cup final will be the M&M show - Lionel Messi versus Kylian Mbappe," he told told the Daily Mail.
"Like you, I'm in awe of these two. The way they rise to the occasion so often, so beautifully, so devastatingly. I will be at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday to watch this showdown between the 35-year-old genius of the game and 23-year-old future of football. It is bound to be a final that I tell the grandchildren about."
Didier Drogba - France are dangerous
"They know that this French team doesn’t like to receive a lot of knocks and Argentina are really aggressive. They won’t let Mbappé facing the game, you know, they will block him, they know he’s the main man," he told BBC Sport.
"But it’s going to be difficult for them to handle Griezmann, Tchouaméni, even Dembélé. We don’t talk about him but I believe he’s been helping Koundé a lot, working hard. Playing against Messi is going to maybe their first time, so the pressure is there.
"They watched the game last night, they see how difficult it is to handle Messi, but this French team is very very competitive, especially with Didier Deschamps as manager they want to win it back-to-back."
Antonio Valencia - Messi will be the difference-maker
"There’s a strong division across South America, but hopefully Argentina can win the World Cup final. They’re a tough team and they have the best player in the world," he told The Athletic.
"When a national team has a player like Messi, a difference-maker like him, it obviously helps. I want Argentina to win for Messi, for everything he has accomplished in his career. Every player should want to emulate his work ethic, his humility, his performances.
"Messi is the standard. This version of Messi that I’ve been watching truly wants to win the World Cup. He’s fully focused on that. It’s a wonderful opportunity for him."
Jason Cundy - France must improve if they are to win
"If they play like that against Argentina, Argentina will win. They've got to improve. We all know what Mbappe's got under the bonnet, but over the last two games, you would not be picking Mbappe," he told talkSPORT.
"But big man for the big stage. It could come down to whoever, Messi or Mbappe, who puts in the sort of performance that can lift the World Cup, it may come down to that. But I'm not that impressed with France. It's quite evenly matched, but from what I've seen, just edge Argentina.
