In a battle of midfields, Croatia hope the World Cup sticks to its theme in final against France

The last day of the carnival is here. The final game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. And it has come down to France and Croatia. One of these two teams will lift that little golden trophy tonight and they will have to be at their best to do so. It has been an incredible month-long journey, one with all the classic World Cup tropes: shocking upsets, a deep run by a dark horse, surprise finalist.

It has also seen some things that subvert the World Cup norm: Germany went out in the first round, Italy didn't even qualify and England won a penalty shootout. Despite proven corruption and chaos at the administrative level, football continues to astound and inspire at the grounds. A thoroughly entertaining World Cup in Russia is a prime example of that.

France always the favourites; Croatia flying under the radar

Before it all culminates, before we go back to our motorised lives, we have one more game that has the potential to be electric. France were one of the favourites to win the World Cup when they landed in Russia and they are favourites today. Croatia mostly flew under the radar before the World Cup but have battled their way to the top of the pile. The two teams couldn't be more contrasting.

France are youthful and sophisticated. They have strength in depth and house some of the most coveted young footballers on the planet. France are the future. Croatia are more bullish and grizzled with age and experience. They have a few young sparks among them but their best players are on the other side of thirty. They do not have incredible depth, but they have an enviable midfield. Even the two teams' World Cup runs have been polar opposites.

France started out stale and have hit their peak in the knockout rounds, just when they needed to. Croatia were rampant in the group stage and have laboured since the round of sixteen. They survived two penalty shootouts and came back from a goal down to outlast England in the semi-finals. For them, the final promises to be more the same.

Superteam France

France are a superteam, with world-class players at almost every position. N'Golo Kante has been a midfield stalwart and one of the best players this World Cup. Consequently, Paul Pogba has enjoyed more freedom and has been instrumental behind the forward line. Olivier Giroud has not scored a goal yet but his experience has allowed others to flourish around him. He has displayed nous in hold-up play and worked selflessly away from the limelight. Antoine Griezmann has slowly but surely found his groove and has been the creative force that powers all forward movement. He is not only scoring goals, he's creating them too.

Kylian Mbappe has announced himself on the world stage and is sure to become a household name after the World Cup, if he isn't already one. His athleticism, his searing pace and flair, his ability to take on defenders and fashion chances in the opposition box has captured everyone's attention and imagination. He has single-handedly changed games and can do so again in the final.

France have also looked fairly solid at the back, Barring a few indiscretions, Samuel Umtiti and Raphael Varane have been a solid centre-back combination. They managed to shut out Belgium, the highest scoring team in the tournament. Behind them at goal, Hugo Lloris has been the trustworthy, no fuss-keeper, that he has always been. One would be hard-pressed to pick out a weakness in this French squad.

The only issue, that has sometimes plagued them this World Cup, is that the team still doesn't look like a well-oiled machine. Despite boasting of some of world football's finest talents, France have often looked clunky and disjointed. All the great parts are there, but the sum of all parts sometimes doesn't quite impress.

Croatia’s golden generation of footballers

Croatia also have a talented generation of players, probably their best in their short history. They're of course led by the talismanic Luka Modric. The Real Madrid midfielder has been one of the best players this World Cup and is surely leading the race for the Golden Ball. He has been decisive in moments that count and has taken initiative when Croatia seem flat.

Ivan Rakitic has provided excellent support to him throughout the tournament, taking a deeper role himself and allowing his captain a more pivotal position from where he can be more impactful. Mario Mandzukic has been a fighter and has worked his socks off in the tournament. His late winner against England in the semi-final symbolised his importance to the team. Ivan Perisic is the wide forward with pace and flair. He gets in the dangerous areas around the opposition box and is deadly on the counter.

The fact, however, remains that France are a superior team and it will be upon Croatia to counter the threats they face. If Croatia are too open, they could be picked off by Griezmann and Mbappe and it could turn out to be a one-sided final. One can exepct them to start as they did in semi-finals, with Marcelo Brozovic holding the defensive midfield fort . With him, Croatia are tighter in the middle. It will no doubt be a battle of the midfields. Rakitic, Brozovic and Modric will be up against Kante and Pogba. It is the World Cup final, so both teams will be a little cautious. At the moment it seems a herculean task, but if Croatia can cancel out Mbappe, they can stifle France's pace up top. Croatia's defence cannot afford to lose focus. One slip up could mean the silver medal.

This is Croatia's first World Cup final. They've already made history but if they can take one more step ahead, they will pull off the greatest World Cup final upset since 1954 when West Germany defeated overwhelming favourites Hungary.

In that, they don't have much pressure on them. The onus is on France. They had the best team on paper at the World Cup and would be looking to right the wrongs of the 2006 World Cup final. If Croatia can blindside them, the final will be in line with what we've seen all World Cup: a subversion of the standard. This has been a World Cup of surprises. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to think the final might offer one too.