World Cup 2018: 4 key player battles to watch out for in the final - France vs Croatia

#4 Raphael Varane vs Mario Mandzukic

Mandzukic (r) - lethal!

Mario Mandzukic’s semi-final winner against England will forever go down in Croatian history, but he will want to do it all over again in the final against France. Mandzukic has had a good tournament for France, and Croatia utilize his talents to the fullest.

Mandzukic is a tall and powerful striker who likes to dominate aerially. He is an above par finisher who has very good instincts in and around the box, but he is going to come up against a French defence which has been really good in this tournament.

In their semi-final against Belgium, France had to deal with a similar threat in Romelu Lukaku, and the combination of Varane and Umtiti made sure he was almost a non-factor. Varane in particular has been wonderful for France, providing stability and solidity at the back and he will have his hands full dealing with Mandzukic.

Expect a highly physical battle between the two and especially during set pieces as Croatia will look to capitalize on Mandzukic’s aerial prowess.

Croatia will need all hands on deck if they are to have any chance at beating France and a lot of that responsibility is going to fall on Mandzukic.

Meanwhile France will be hoping Varane can shut him down and power France to one last clean sheet which could well be the one that wins them the World Cup.