The final round of World Cup Fantasy 2022 begins on Saturday, so we have chosen our best players for Matchday 7 of the official FIFA game.
With it being the same four teams we picked from in Matchday 6, there’s an inescapably similar feel to the selection.
A big caveat here is the team news for Morocco v Croatia. No one knows at this early stage how strong an XI the respective head coaches will send out for this glorified dead rubber, so make sure you take a look over the teamsheets at around 1.30pm-1.45pm GMT on Saturday as there could very well be some hitherto peripheral squad players getting starts in the third-place play-off.
The virus sweeping around the France camp is also worth monitoring ahead of Sunday’s final.
MATCHDAY 7 SCOUT PICKS
GOALKEEPERS
We’ve opted for Yassine Bounou ($4.5m) and Emiliano Martinez ($5.5m) as our chosen goalkeepers in Matchday 7.
Morocco have impressed defensively at the World Cup, conceding only three goals whilst keeping four clean sheets, more than any other nation in Qatar.
Argentina, meanwhile, restricted Croatia to just two shots on target in their semi-final meeting earlier this week, and have allowed just one big chance to Australia throughout the whole tournament.
DEFENDERS
Achraf Hakimi ($5.0m) is the highest-scoring defender in the official FIFA game and has returned in every round bar the semi-finals. Now, he faces a Croatian side that have allowed 18 chances to be created from their left flank, compared to just nine on the right. The PSG full-back could also get opportunities to score, having registered four shots in Qatar.
France are slight favourites against Argentina in the final on Sunday, but it does feel like a contest that could go either way, which is reflected in the Scout Picks, with two defenders from each nation selected.
Argentina’s defence has been really strong throughout the tournament and Nahuel Molina ($5.5m) and Nicolas Otamendi ($5.0m) are the fourth and fifth-highest-scoring defenders in the game, with 23 and 20 points respectively.
As for France, Theo Hernandez ($5.0m) has created more chances than any other defender at the World Cup, and he’s joined by fellow full-back Jules Kounde (£6.0m). However, if Adrien Rabiot ($6.5m) is once again ruled out, a punt on the out-of-position Youssouf Fofana ($5.0m) carries appeal.
MIDFIELDERS
You have right up until kick-off to make changes to your team in the official FIFA game, which allows Fantasy managers to react to team news. And that could be more important than ever in Matchday 7, with rotation potentially on the cards in the third-place playoff between Croatia and Morocco.
Here, we’ve included Luka Modric ($8.5m), Hakim Ziyech ($7.0m) and Sofiane Boufal ($6.0m), but if one of them is indeed to miss out, Ivan Perisic ($7.5m) is a viable replacement.
Elsewhere, Argentina are coming off a convincing 3-0 win against Croatia, so Alexis Mac Allister ($7.0m) and Rodrigo De Paul ($5.0m) are both great options to include in the final. France have seen a lower amount of possession than their opponent in the last two rounds, so Lionel Scaloni’s engine room could play a key role on Sunday. It’s also worth noting Mac Allister wasted two big chances in the semi-final and took up some encouraging positions in the final third.
FORWARDS
Lionel Messi ($10.5m) and Kylian Mbappe ($11.5m) are battling for the Golden Boot, with both players on five goals so far. The pair are the highest scorers in the official FIFA game with 47 and 46 points respectively, and including them here feels like a bit of a no-brainer.
Who joins them, however, is more complicated, with France’s Olivier Giroud ($7.5m) and Argentina’s Julian Alvarez ($6.5m) the leading contenders, having netted four goals each at the World Cup.
In the end, we opted for Alvarez, who served up a brace in the semi-final and has racked up five big chances in six appearances.
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