I’m hoping Argentina do it.

I'd love to see Morocco win it but I don't think they will. Croatia will come unstuck eventually too.

France Argentina is literally the only game I will tune in for now. Not interested in watching either semi final tbh as 1 team in each game will set up to frustrate.

comment by Glazers Out (SE85) (U21241)
posted 35 seconds ago
I'd love to see Morocco win it but I don't think they will. Croatia will come unstuck eventually too.

France Argentina is literally the only game I will tune in for now. Not interested in watching either semi final tbh as 1 team in each game will set up to frustrate.
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Yes. Portugal vs France/England and Brazil vs Argentina would have been far more intriguing but hey-ho.

I’d love for Morocco to win it, they’ve been dangerous on the counter, solid defensively only conceding once and have shown tactical nous and moments of great technical skills, plus their fans have been class. France might be a step to far though, different proportion to Portugal and Spain.

But then you have the Messi factor, it’d be great for him to win a World Cup but this Argentina team are like the Atletico of international football, the ‘housery was Simeone-esque against the Dutch; kind of want Croatia to turn them over

In order or preference

Morocco
Croatia
Argentina
France

Would like the Argies win it just for the spectacle and atmoshere. There are tens of thousands of Messi Fan boys living and working in Qatar. Not many of them South American but they do make a noise in the stadium.

comment by Pun Guy (U21588)
posted 27 minutes ago
La France to win back to back would be a dream.
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Argentina are the worst kind of bad winners and losers. Couldn't give a monkeys about Messi's destiny and the conspiracy's about the powers that be making it so. Makes we want Croatia to win it all and Modric to go out in true style👍

I’d love it to be Morocco. Would be magnificent for Africa and African football.

comment by Bumble (U6465)
posted 1 minute ago
Argentina are the worst kind of bad winners and losers. Couldn't give a monkeys about Messi's destiny and the conspiracy's about the powers that be making it so. Makes we want Croatia to win it all and Modric to go out in true style👍
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No signs of him going out just yet. His longevity is remarkable.

Imagine if it was a repeat of the last WC final, could well happen

comment by Bobby Dazzler (U1449)
posted 2 minutes ago
Imagine if it was a repeat of the last WC final, could well happen
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Can see that being the case if Croatia beat Argentina and France beat Morocco.

comment by Bobby Dazzler (U1449)
posted 3 minutes ago
Imagine if it was a repeat of the last WC final, could well happen
----------------------------------------------------------------------
it could and would confirm a lot about both sides

comment by The Process (U20671)
posted 1 hour, 4 minutes ago
comment by Serious Thorgen Kloppinson - It's the facking world cup. (U1282)
posted 13 seconds ago
comment by Ji Sung Park's Cousin - It's Beekers! (U2958)
posted 6 seconds ago
I've enjoyed the Morocco games. Are we supposed to be thinking that Spain and Portugal out skilled them and they just got lucky? That's certainly not the games I watched. I don't think they are even "doing a Greece"... They shown plenty of skill and about equal attacking thinking as the teams they've faced.
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Exactly. Think some people are a tad jealous.
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It's not jealousy. As a neutral fan watching this WC I want to see good attacking football. What Morocco have done is effective and fair play to them but I don't enjoy watching them as much as other teams that have been knocked out.
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Oh, I didn't have you in mind Process, I hadn't even read all the thread tbh. Some criticisms are valid.

comment by Prof Rosso Curtice - mapping SOTY polling trends in real time (U17054)
posted 2 minutes ago
I’d love it to be Morocco. Would be magnificent for Africa and African football.
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North African

Don't think the Magrebi's are all that bothered by SSA tbh

comment by Prof Rosso Curtice - mapping SOTY polling trends in real time (U17054)
posted 10 minutes ago
I’d love it to be Morocco. Would be magnificent for Africa and African football.
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And the Arab world would celebrate too.

Billions of people want to see Morocco do it.

comment by Silver (U6112)
posted 56 minutes ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 23 minutes ago
Argentina or Morocco. Nothing against France, but they won the last one. Nothing against Croatia, but I think a final + world champions flatters them based on their actual quality. Morocco clearly aren't one of the most talented sides left in the competition either, but it would be amazing to see an African team win it. Argentina - a fitting career bookmark for Messi, great for Lisandro and future United legend Enzo Fernandez, and it would royally pss off Ronaldo and his army of idiots.
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A bit harsh on Croatia. Modric aside, no out and out stars but you could maybe argue a more balanced team than most others?
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I have a lot of respect for this Croatia side. Full of technically accomplished, tactically intelligent players, resilient and experienced as a team. I just think they have ridden their luck a bit in two successive WCs and getting to one final is about the right reward for the sum of their qualities. I was rooting for them in the 2018 final.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 11 seconds ago
comment by Silver (U6112)
posted 56 minutes ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 23 minutes ago
Argentina or Morocco. Nothing against France, but they won the last one. Nothing against Croatia, but I think a final + world champions flatters them based on their actual quality. Morocco clearly aren't one of the most talented sides left in the competition either, but it would be amazing to see an African team win it. Argentina - a fitting career bookmark for Messi, great for Lisandro and future United legend Enzo Fernandez, and it would royally pss off Ronaldo and his army of idiots.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A bit harsh on Croatia. Modric aside, no out and out stars but you could maybe argue a more balanced team than most others?
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I have a lot of respect for this Croatia side. Full of technically accomplished, tactically intelligent players, resilient and experienced as a team. I just think they have ridden their luck a bit in two successive WCs and getting to one final is about the right reward for the sum of their qualities. I was rooting for them in the 2018 final.
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If Croatia and France get there, they are the two best sides in the World.

comment by peks - 1974 (U6618)
posted 25 seconds ago
comment by Prof Rosso Curtice - mapping SOTY polling trends in real time (U17054)
posted 2 minutes ago
I’d love it to be Morocco. Would be magnificent for Africa and African football.
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North African

Don't think the Magrebi's are all that bothered by SSA tbh
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I knew it, and expected it from someone racist caaaant like Peks.

Can't wait for some people to now take ownership and acceptance of North Africans. Morocco are arguably the most vibrant member of the AU though.

comment by RB&W - Whiteside has done it again (U21434)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Bobby Dazzler (U1449)
posted 3 minutes ago
Imagine if it was a repeat of the last WC final, could well happen
----------------------------------------------------------------------
it could and would confirm a lot about both sides
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tbh, there are quite a lot of teams which seem to be in "transition". Either a change of managers or new players being integrated to the squads so you can expect inconsistent performances.
This is why what Morocco is doing is remarkable. New manager who had to re-integrate few players who were not popular with the ancien regime. On the opposite of the spectrum, this is also why we should be critical of England performances. Players and managers know each other for quite some times now.

Morocco the least surfer-ish side left...so Morocco

comment by RB&W - Whiteside has done it again (U21434)
posted 4 minutes ago

If Croatia and France get there, they are the two best sides in the World.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

If they get there, they deserve to be there. And the winning team is a deserved winner. But I take issue with the idea that it means they are the best teams. In a knock-out competition there's a huge element of chance, which is to say luck, involved in who makes it to the end. It's too small a data sample for it to tell you which is the best team. There are lots of examples of teams creating more good chances than the other and getting knocked out, essentially due to fractional roll of the ball details. Play the same World Cup again and it's quite conceivable you'd have four different semi-finalists.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 12 minutes ago
comment by Silver (U6112)
posted 56 minutes ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 23 minutes ago
Argentina or Morocco. Nothing against France, but they won the last one. Nothing against Croatia, but I think a final + world champions flatters them based on their actual quality. Morocco clearly aren't one of the most talented sides left in the competition either, but it would be amazing to see an African team win it. Argentina - a fitting career bookmark for Messi, great for Lisandro and future United legend Enzo Fernandez, and it would royally pss off Ronaldo and his army of idiots.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A bit harsh on Croatia. Modric aside, no out and out stars but you could maybe argue a more balanced team than most others?
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I have a lot of respect for this Croatia side. Full of technically accomplished, tactically intelligent players, resilient and experienced as a team. I just think they have ridden their luck a bit in two successive WCs and getting to one final is about the right reward for the sum of their qualities. I was rooting for them in the 2018 final.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I think every team left have ridden their luck. There hasn't been an outstanding team in this world cup.

Croatia are absolutely awful to watch

I wud like Argentina too winnit as we need a no-European winner.
I wud like France too winnitt as grate acheevment 2 re-Pete
I wud like Murrocco too winnit as wud b grate toohavva African champ n my barbers r Murroccan
I wud like Croatia too winnitt as like there checkebored jerseys n Croatio use too b part of Italy sough we can clame vuctory ss whell