World Cup Final and 3rd/4th Place Play-off Live Match Chat
Putin must be delighted at the thought of Europe’s finest taking over Moscow on Sunday. But it is what it is and the stadium will be covered in red and blue as France take on Croatia in the World Cup Final. These two have only met once before in the World Cup, in 1998, when the French triumphed 2-1 in the semi-final on the way to winning the trophy for the first and, to date, only time.
Croatia have never beaten France in their only previous five meetings, losing three and drawing the last two.
The 3rd/4th place play off sees England meet Belgium – a match dominated by Premier League involvement, unless of course Belgium make mass changes, which they may well do. The two have met three times previously in World Cup competition – in 1954 when the teams drew 4-4 in what must have been a tremendous game, in 1990 when David Platt’s last gasp goal saw England progress to the quarter-finals and of course in the group stages earlier in the tournament when both sides played their reserves in a 1-0 Belgium victory.
We will see the line-ups pre-deadline for the 3rd/4th place off match so maybe it’s best to wait to see which players are selected before making any transfers. It’s also worth noting that in the previous four World Cup tournaments there has been 17 goals in the 3rd/4th place play off compared to just 8 goals in the last four finals.
We are again allowed five free transfers and can now select a maximum of eight players from any one team.
THE GAMES IN FULL
Saturday 14th July
Belgium vs England (3pm)
Sunday 15th July
France vs Croatia (4pm)
So that you have them to hand in one place here’s a reminder of the substitution rules, transfer allotment, wildcard and boosters. AKA the rules…
SUBSTITUTIONS
TRANSFERS
Keep track of all the action, the goals, the talking points, right here at FF247 Live Match Chat, an interactive chat which encourages you to keep involved and share your thoughts and emotions as the matches take place.
Good luck!
Anyone for Tennis 😉
Nice bit of corporate Silvers, enjoy!
Always mate what a great night last night
Saw Man City’s private jet at Brussels airport recently while passing through. What do you guys reckon? Could be anything I suppose.
Was there for the NATO meeting?
Haha.
Nadal vs Djokovic still going on if anyone cares – its worth a watch.
Can’t bring myself to watch competitive sport again yet. Still sat in the garage / man-cave crying.
Really? I don’t follow tennis, I thought Wimbledon courts didn’t have lights?
Either that or they’re playing in the dark.
Silvers is shining a torch on centre court!
Stopped now, resuming tomorrow – Djokovic 2-1 up if anyone cares.
The roof with lights is relatively new Mito. Its so late because the first semi went to 5 sets and 26-24 in the final set. Incredible.
26-24 sounds like a lot of running!
What a game that is, after the longest ever Wimbledon semifinal earlier. So far, the forecast is a Balkan Sunday. Croatia with the World Cup and Djokovic with one more Wimbledon title 🙂
Don’t Ivan, this could ruin Init 😉
Well, they will have the hardest ever task to play against a very strong World class African team but, who knows….
Adrian Childs more or less said on the Beeb earlier that they’re basically just not very nice people. And he’s sort of half Croat (Mother is). Can’t say I know any. Would you concur Ivan? He said they play the underdog card a lot but also have a massive (fake) inferiority complex at the same time as having a superiority one. It all rang true given their behaviour after the semi the other night which was a little unsavoury and unnecessary. Maybe I’m just very English and decent but it was interesting to hear it from someone who has a foot in both camps and so is somewhat impartial.
I just want the best team to win. Croatia already achieved more they’ve expected and everything else it will be a bonus. And yes, there are many things going around that the team France has hardly any French players in it. The difference is that team England have many players with diferent nationality backgrounds but in any win they will celebrate under the Saint George’s Cross. Just watch on Sunday if somehow France manage to win, how many tricolore will be around.
France have always trumped even the ROI at this ‘nationality’ trickery! Zidane is often quoted as the best example but to be fair to him he was at least born there.
That is so true init. It will take some time before we all come to terms with these globalisation palaver. In the meantime, I salute you with the Adrian Chiles mention. It just sums it up completely.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/world-cup-2018/6736278/adrian-chiles-england-croatia-world-cup-2018/
Most are born in France Ivan
He was a bit more descriptive and eloquent on the podcast I heard. He’s a presenter though so he would be, his written words are lacking somewhat there. The Sun do edit down to a base level though so maybe I’m doing his written skills a disservice.
Well init, I think he did it brilliantly in a era where the multi.. and pc….. I am not going to continue in case I get it wrong.
Send it to Chips mate, he’ll sort it 😉
I thought it was all but two born in France?
I saw something on it a week ago and thought I read it was just Umtiti and Mandanda that were not born in France.
You are almost right Zorro.
Call it half
Look at it the other way, there are 35 players born in France in this WC, more than any other country.
Who are they all playing for then because it’s not France, clearly
Where was Raheem born? The irony is great Innit-A Bulgarian immigrant calling out France ffs. Here’s some info https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/07/world-cup-fifa-soccer-players-national-teams-foreign-born/
Or to summarise Morocco/Tunisia are mostly French born. Also, some of the French players Mothers went ‘home’ to have the child and the kid spent like 2 months outside of France and now play for France.
Any Rugby Union fans? The All Blacks??? 1960s-70s New Zealand imported families from all over the Islands down under, now the Kiwis stuff everybody, lol. Feckin good to watch mind. google Umanga’s handbag hakka, funniest thing to come out of OZ ever.
What about Chris Froome? Zola Budd & dozens of England cricketers??? All African born, I hate racism and will argue it all day long, but that’s enough methinks. Allez Les Bleus (Ivan, I know they’re not Blue so be quiet). 4-0 with Griezmann hatty
Oh Zorro, I know you love those heydays while galavanting in France. We are in a diferent time zone 😉
Different planets more like, beats me how you got out of area 51
🙂 Rooney is coming in tonight. Is there anything more important :big-lol:
Everyone hates racism and I don’t understand what that is got to do with the subject. We were talking about homegrown players and France don’t have many as the rest of the teams in the WC.
I have to say I’m a bit surprised/skeptical about all these comments and what they are trying to say. As said above, all French players but Umti and Mandanda are born in France. And these two arrived when they were two years old. They all grew up in France, all recrived a french education and learnt football in the french system….
So reading things like France doesn’t have many homegrown players is just utterly ridiculous. I didn’t know I was here to read the daily mail.
Enough said.
Yes Frenchie, totally agree. It all started as a discussion due to a lot of media accusation about the French team. The good part is that now is clear and you are right.
Frenchie, you can see my rant above against racism.. Innit & Cookie and most of the fine folks on here would be horrified if you are upset. Sorry if you were offended.
Nobody meant to cause any offence to anyone there Frenchie, just a light hearted discussion. Many apologies if it did.
Good luck today mate. Where are you watching it?
Allez les Blues!!
Don’t listen to the dirty racists Frenchie!! Only joking pal, none of it was meant in that fashion.
Am cheering your boys on this afternoon, naturally. Lets hope they do it!
You started it Cookie, you daft racist!
:hippo:
Cheers guys!
I’m not offended, it takes a lot for me to be in general, I just don’t like when facts are a bit distorted.
You know, some of these guys (Pogba, Mandanda…) went through the training centre of my local club, le HAC, so maybe that’s why I feel I need to defend them 😉
I was in Paris last weekend for the quarter final, but today I’ll watch the final in a local pub in London, with my English friends
Should we start inmigration issues then? I know a certain english man living in France…
He lives in Monaco not France DMC! 😉
A pub in London eh Frenchie?! Typical Frenchman, they don’t like being born there or staying there much do they?
:popcorn: 😉
Enjoy the game mate, sincerely hoping you win today. I didn’t much like the Croats attitude after the semi. Loved my time in France when my Dad lived there, lovely people. Albeit a bit lazy
Let’s tslk about Brexit…
Monaco is part of France for all purposes, except taxes!
:popcorn:
Your dad lived in France? Heck, you could be in the line up then!
Get em Frenchie!!
I tried to fight these fools 😉 off until you appeared to set them straight.
Nasty Croats, almost as up their own arses as the Bulgarians. Allegedly 😉
Am I the only one supporting Croatia?
Glad this all got sorted so amicably! :sfan: :say-what:
Ha,ha, ha Cookie, don’t you start again :satansmoking:
Frenchie, the best pub to watch the game is the Famous Three Kings in Fulham. You can watch it in any language you want. You will feel like you are at the stadium.
…..or indeed in the French dressing room :big-lol:
Ahahah
What to do with this team? leading my ML by 1 point with max capt to play.
Obviously going to wait for ENG/BEL lineups before making transfers but i’m thinking
Pickford>Lloris
Trip>Varane
Lingard>?
poss Mbappe>Griez
any thoughts?
First two look fine. Hang fire on Lingard until we see the teams. Griezmann still wins that battle for me due to set pieces.
cheers Innit, I’ll probably need to move Lingard on to finance the moves, only have 0.7 itb and those changes would leave 6.3 for a mid if i take Ling out
OK, that is what I am going with. BB active.
Is Trippier playing Ivan?
Last night I read that he is now fit to play. We’ll find out in an hour.
Manchester United have agreed to sell Daley Blind to Ajax
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44831362