World Cup Fantasy 2022: Mbappe v Messi in final – but don’t neglect 3rd-place play-off

We round up the key Fantasy talking points from the two midweek World Cup semi-finals in our Scout Notes summary.

Some of the graphics and numbers in this article are from our Premium Members Area, which now includes all Opta player and team data from every World Cup game.

FRANCE 2-0 MOROCCO

• GOALS: Theo Hernandez, Randal Kolo Muani
• ASSISTS: Kylian Mbappe x2

ARGENTINA 3-0 CROATIA

• GOALS: Lionel Messi (pen), Julian Alvarez x2
• ASSISTS: Lionel Messi
• PENALTY WON BY: Julian Alvarez
• PENALTY CULPRIT: Dominik Livakovic

So, then, it comes down to Kylian Mbappe ($11.5m) v Lionel Messi ($10.5m) for not just the World Cup but probably the Golden Boot, the Golden Ball and potentially even the top assist-maker.

The two leading points scorers (by some distance) among active players in the official FIFA Fantasy game square off on Sunday afternoon, having played a big part in their respective nations’ semi-final wins.

Messi took the plaudits on Wednesday, his superb slaloming run and assist for Argentina’s third goal set to be replayed ad infinitum and probably the chief reason why the bookies now rate him the new odds-on favourite to win the player of the tournament accolade.

The veteran PSG forward had earlier despatched a first-half penalty to give Argentina a 1-0 lead, going on to bank a double-digit haul.

Mbappe’s attacking returns on Wednesday were more fortuitous, with two of his blocked efforts being followed up by goalscorers Theo Hernandez ($5.0m) and Randal Kolo Muani ($7.0m).

While we’ve had the luxury of having Messi and Mbappe playing on separate days throughout the knockout stages, thus being able to switch the captaincy between the pair if required, they now meet on the same patch of grass this weekend, so it’s an either/or for the Fantasy armband.

Or maybe, just maybe, you will end up ignoring both in the skipper stakes.

Before Sunday’s final, we get a third/fourth-place play-off between Morocco and Croatia.

All of us Fantasy managers get to pick a captaincy candidate for that glorified dead rubber, and history suggests that there is going to be more goalmouth activity in the bronze medal match than in the final.

In fact, of the last 10 World Cups, only once has there been more goals in the final than in the third-place play-off – that, of course, was in 2018:

The pressure being completely off in one match and the stakes being sky-high in the other is one convenient narrative to explain this, although it’s also often the case that many rusty second-string players get a run-out in the third/fourth-place play-off, resulting in a more disorganised affair.

FIFA Fantasy managers get six free transfers to use in Matchday 7 which, given that the same four teams are taking part as in the previous Matchday, seems on the generous side.

It does, however, allow us to see the teamsheets for Morocco v Croatia and take a few maverick punts on what will hopefully be a more open affair. It could even reinvigorate the stagnant midfield pool, which didn’t supply a single goal or assist across the two semi-finals. Alexis Mac Allister ($5.5m) was the closest to doing so, wasting two big chances on Tuesday night.

Above: Midfielders banked only appearance points, clean sheet points and/or bonus in Matchday 6

If you’ve still got your Power Captain chip, you’d hope to catch one haul in a Matchday in which the points might be tough to predict.

Morocco were the more impressive of the two losing semi-finalists, really running France close after Croatia had wilted against Argentina. This was Les Bleus’ first clean sheet of the tournament but it arrived more by luck than judgement, with Jawad El Yamiq ($3.5m) striking the woodwork and a few goalmouth scrambles not falling the north African nation’s way.

Argentina, by contrast, were rarely troubled against the Croats, and they’ve still only allowed one big chance (BC, below) all tournament.

With many of us owning both Messi and Mbappe, Olivier Giroud ($7.5m) and Julian Alvarez ($6.5m) were competing for the third forward slot in Matchday 6. Giroud outshot his fellow striker by three to two but good old variance was on the side of Alvarez owners, with both of the Manchester City asset’s strikes finding the net (one being a ‘best worst goal’ contender). Giroud, by contrast, struck the woodwork and wasted a glorious chance from 15 yards.

On the team news front, Marcos Acuna ($4.5m) should return to the Argentina line-up for the final after serving a suspension, while Dayot Upamecano ($5.5m) and Adrien Rabiot ($6.5m) may be in a better place to re-challenge for their shirts after illness forced them to drop out of the team against Morocco. Ibrahima Konate ($5.5m) made Upamecano’s job that bit tougher with a strong display on Wednesday.