Select your Fantasy team as the curtain comes down on Qatar 2022
Pick your Fantasy team for the Word Cup final and third-place play-off
Lionel Messi tops the scoring charts ahead of Kylian Mbappe
Ziyech and Perisic the top scoring midfielders
This is it then: one last chance for glory! No, we’re not talking about the World Cup final, but the concluding matchday for our FIFA World Cup™ Fantasy game.
It’s the same four teams as the last round, with Croatia and Morocco losing out in the semi-finals but still having third place to play for, while France and Argentina will do battle for the big one in the World Cup final.
Two games left, in other words, to get as many points as possible which could make all the difference between winning your friends or work leagues and just missing out – it’s not just on the pitch where the drama will take place this weekend.
We’ve got the third-place play-off and the final that count towards this matchday. And while the teams involved might be the same, are there new players to include and any which may have gone under the radar?
FIFA+ picks out a starting 11 of the best players for the two clashes: Croatia v Morocco and Argentina v France, for you to consider when picking your line-ups.
Emiliano Martinez (Argentina) 20 points | $5.5m
Another tough call for your keeper here as Martinez is level on points with Morocco’s Yassine Bounou, who is also $1m cheaper at $4.5m. So if you’re strapped for cash, Bounou could be your man. There are a couple of reasons to lean towards selecting Martinez though. He scored seven points in the semi-final, while Bounou drew a blank. Morocco's herculean efforts in reaching the last four looked to have drained many of their squad ahead of their meeting with Croatia, and they have injury doubts over several key defenders.
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) 28 points | $5m
Zero points against France was a disappointing return for Hakimi owners, but that can happen when you're up against a man like Kylian Mbappe. The Morocco defender is not up against his old friend this time though, so expect him to be back flying down the wing, linking up with Ziyech and providing dangerous crosses and even shots.
Theo Hernandez (France) 26 points | $5m
Another Fantasy bargain here. Theo is only playing after his brother Lucas got injured earlier in the tournament, but he’s made the very most of it and added to some solid performances with an early goal in the semi-final. Facing Messi will be tough, but Hernanez also likes to get forward, so could be a danger in attack again.
Josip Juranovic (Croatia) 17 points | $5m
The right-back has a few players in front of him in terms of points after a -1 display against Argentina, but he’s an all-action force and, given a bit more freedom in this game, he can get back to the form he showed against Brazil and provide your team with an unexpected spark. Nahuel Molina (Argentina) 23 points | $5.5m
An impressive standout in the knockout stages, Molina has 13 points combined for the quarter-final and semi-final, and even though he faces a monumental test up against Mbappe there’s no reason why he can’t get you a few points. The France No.10 isn’t usually a fan of tracking back either, so there could be space in behind to get a few crosses in.
Hakim Ziyech (Morocco) 25 points | $7m
It’ll be no consolation of course but Chelsea midfielder Ziyech is the top-scoring player in his position in Fantasy despite adding just a point in the semi-final against France. The good news is that the third-place game has the potential to be a bit more open and he’s involved in everything the Atlas Lions do going forward, leading breaks, scoring and assisting goals and taking set pieces.
Ivan Perisic (Croatia) 22 points | $7.5m
Perisic is a big-game player and although Croatia failed to get back into the final, finishing third would still be a huge achievement. Like Ziyech, Perisic always seems to be involved and can just as easily score as he can assist and even take set pieces. If a flowing end-to-end game breaks out on Saturday he could fill his boots.
Enzo Fernandez (Argentina) 18 points | $6m
The 21-year-old is level on points with team-mate Alexis Mac Allister but is $1m cheaper and also has real point-scoring potential if Lionel Scaloni again lets him venture forward a bit more and provide an extra attacking threat. His stock will only rise further after this World Cup but, in the meantime, he can help you to Fantasy glory.
Lionel Messi (Argentina) 47 points | $10.5m
What can you say that hasn’t already? Well, maybe that he’s the top scorer in Fantasy after a 10-point haul against Croatia and, what’s more, his points have improved in every game of the knockouts, so we could be in for a bumper score in the final! This could be his crowning moment and, as Messi tends to rise to such occasions, he's an extremely strong contender for the captain's armband.
Kylian Mbappe (France) 46 points | $11.5m
And you thought only PSG could have Messi and Mbappe in the same team? Well now you can too, and there's a strong argument that you should despite the lofty price tag. The gap between these two and the rest in terms of Fantasy scoring means you simply have to get both involved, right? ‘Just’ the seven points in the semi but with a 13 and 15-point game in the tournament already Mbappe can win you your league all by himself.
Julian Alvarez (Argentina) 28 points | $7.5m
The final forward slot is tricky but Alvarez is the third-top scorer in Fantasy, he’s got one point more than Olivier Giroud, is $1m cheaper and has Messi supplying the ammunition for him. The young striker also seems to be getting better as the tournament goes on too and looks a brilliant prospect for the future.
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