Why France Will Beat Croatia In The 2018 World Cup Final

France enter Sunday's World Cup final against Croatia as the clear favorite with many wondering if they can continue their dominance in the knockout rounds and against such a resilient opponent. When the opening whistle blows at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, there will be heightened awareness of Croatia's Cinderella status and their ability to lull their opponents into a false sense of security.

Indeed, Croatia have often played with nothing to lose and that mentality should be on full display against perhaps the most talented roster in the world.

Head coach Didier Deschamps captained the France side that won their first World Cup in 1998, which included a tough 2-1 win over Croatia in the semifinals. He should know full well that the likes of Danijel Subasic, Dejan Lovren, Ivan Rakitic, Ivan Perisic, Luka Modric and many others won't be intimidated on Sunday.

But for Deschamps it is more about how France thinks and feels than who they are facing on the pitch.

"I will say three important words: 'stay calm, have confidence and concentrate,'" Deschamps told reporters.

That simple advice might be exactly what Les Bleus need because they have so much else covered.

Too Much Talent

Scan through the 23-man roster and all of the top clubs in the world are well represented: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris-Saint Germain, Juventus, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and more. This is not only a side with an almost embarrassing wealth of talent but also one that has played alongside and against the best the world has to offer.

It will be hard for Croatia to contain so many great players. The Croatian defense is loaded and battle-tested but holding off forwards like Olivier Giroud, Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann can be exhausting enough, let alone Les Bleus' stacked midfield.

Then Croatia's attack will have to penetrate against the likes of Raphael Varane and Lucas Hernandez? Good luck with that.

Unsung Heroes

Players like Benjamin Pavard, Samuel Umtiti and N'Golo Kante have reminded the world that France aren't just composed of flashy superstars. What's scary for Deschamps is that he has only sparingly used many of his other talented players, which can come in handy if he needs to look to his bench for a specific style of play should France find themselves in a tough situation.

When France defeated Croatia in 1998 it wasn't because of Zinedine Zidane or Thierry Henry or Youri Djorkaeff. It was behind two goals from defender Lilian Thuram. It wouldn't be surprising if Croatia fall again to France because of the play of an unassuming star.

Confidence In Defense

Les Bleus have not conceded a goal in 181 minutes, an impressive achievement considering they were fending off attackers like Uruguay's Luis Suarez and Belgium's Romelu Lukaku. If France can hold off Lionel Messi, it seems reasonable to assume they can contain Mario Mandzukic or anyone for that matter.

Meanwhile, Hugo Lloris deserves credit for maintaining order. The veteran goalkeeper has often faced criticism for inconsistent performances but he has shined in Russia.

Paul Pogba

So much has been said about Modric's motor, but there is no player in the world who covers more ground than the Manchester United star. While he hasn't scored a goal in six World Cup games, the constantly moving Pogba deserves a great deal of credit for France's success.

Few central midfielders do more on both sides of the pitch than Pogba. He's been superb at not only creating scoring opportunities but shutting down opponents' attack. The 25-year-old is in his prime years and knows the world will have their eyes set on him. Don't expect anything short of an exemplary performance.

Peaking At The Right Time

Too much is made of how countries play in the group stage. France, against rather weak competition, failed to impress many with a 2-1 win over Australia, a 1-0 victory over Peru and a scoreless result with Denmark. But they are playing their best at the right time, having scored four goals against Argentina, earning a convincing 2-0 win over Uruguay and then finally defeating World Cup dark horse candidate Belgium, 1-0.

Croatia aren't exactly catching France on their downslope, let's put it that way. France should be running on all cylinders in the final. That spells trouble for Modric and Co.