Latest tips and tricks of World Cup experts

The Russia World Cup draws to a close as France and Croatia take their respective places on the biggest stage imaginable. One will leave the heart broken and desperate while the other will be crowned World Champion.

France was the turtle of the tournament; slowly but surely building match after match and they arrive at the foot of the final mountain fresh and fit

Croatia have had a more challenging adventure throughout the event with prolongations, shootings and injuries threatening to thrive. to stifle their progress. To their credit, the Croatians fought bravely and the 2-1 win over the English in the semifinals was symbolic of their resilience. The French defeated Belgium in a 1-0 victory and without being spectacular, their defensive solidity was a key element.

The panel has sometimes struggled desperately in the face of disturbances and unpredictability and the roar of the crowd looks like taking victory in the tipping race. Unless Daniel Jeffrey can pull a rabbit out of his hat last weekend and add the World Cup title to his A-League success earlier in the year.

Make sure to put your tips in the space below and have your say in the penultimate and last game of the 2018 World Cup.

Here are the predictions of the panel, who has enjoyed sharing his thoughts and advice over the past month

. ] Stuart Thomas
Belgium, France
This will be the second time these teams have met and the circumstances are similar this time around. Belgium's victory in the group stage was achieved with many players rested and in a dull match that tells us very little.

This time, both teams will be flat, with the disappointment of being so close yet so far from, the most revered trophy in the sport

Belgium has impressed slightly more than the l? England in the tournament and they will probably win what will look like something from a hollow victory after the disappointment of the semifinal.

France will win the World Cup final with a comfortable three goals. The long road of Croatia will play a role and the exhaustion will eventually fall on the strongest and most consistent team in Russia

Croatia will fight early and possess weapons that will can hurt the French but the defensive prowess of the Blues The victory will see Didier Deschamps master the challenge to successfully gel the immense talent that the French have at their disposal.

Mike Tuckerman
Belgium, Croatia.
I think Belgium will be too strong for a demoralized England in the playoffs of third place. The Red Devils will simply want more against an English team that has already mentally left the tournament.

My head says France but my heart – and my advice – says that Croatia will win the World Cup final. Croats will need a superhuman effort to win it. But they have already shown so many things to go so far, and I hope they can provoke another upheaval in this most unpredictable World Cup.

Daniel Jeffrey
Belgium, France
The third-place play-offs were real goals in comparison to the recent finals, so I Looking forward to tonight's match, a match in which Belgium seems to have the advantage. The Red Devils played the best football in Russia, and while Roberto Martinez was out-coach in their semifinal, this same criticism can be directed to Gareth Southgate. Plus, there would be something deliciously English to finish fourth after having such a good chance of winning the deciding match.

It is just as difficult to overtake the team on the more difficult side of the final draw. France has not been as terrifying as possible with the talent of Didier Deschamps, but we can not deny their ruthless efficiency and their defensive prowess. The Blues have only conceded in two games the entire tournament (there is something that Socceroos can be proud of), and their quality on the counterattack is immense.

As for Croatia, I do not know how this team is still standing. They have now had to play 90 minutes longer than France, yet delivered at every opportunity in the knockout phases. It's a really remarkable effort for them to qualify for the final, but to win the victory, it will take a monumental comeback – or France, which will have the bonus of an extra day of rest, to fall in heap.

Come to battle between the two players of the tournament: N & # 39; Golo Kante and Luka Modric. Both were superb, Modric in his role as attacker and the Frenchman defeating the threats to the defense.

As good as the Croatian skipper is, Kante is able to cancel it. If he does, the platform will be there for Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann to dominate ahead and lead France to their second World Cup trophy.

Tim Palmer
Belgium, France
I said before the first match between these two teams that I thought Team B of England against the Belgium. I think that might still be the case, but Belgium will be able to bring better players to win, in the hope of a more entertaining match than the non-event.

Although it is unusual. Finally no one could have predicted, the game itself feels predictable. France has shown a lot more ability to control and manage matches against stronger teams than Croatia, and seems to be in the mood to just do the job.

The warning, of course, is that Croatia continues to shoot new rabbits on a surprisingly deep hat. They have Modric and Rakitic able to take control of the games in the second half and the underrated ability to simply score goals when needed.

I still think that the final is too far, as I have done in all Croatian games. I am probably wrong but I feel that France, although not inspired, has enough money in its parts (although it is not the highest sum that one can imagine for this group of players) for win the final.

Paul Nicholls
England, France
After all these years, they still have a place in third place? Is it really worth a point in compilations?

It is rather amusing that England and Belgium met at this World Cup, they lined up their category B teams. I chose England, assuming they had more depth but the result went against my logic. Now, the counter-logic says that Belgium should win, that's why I will use the counter-logic against it to tip England.

I hope that both teams will play and play an entertaining role. It could end up with 3-2 or something like that, with some laughter along the way. My guess is that England came out slightly more optimistic about its semi-final defeat than Belgium, and that should be enough to bring the Three Lions home.

I Can not Believe The final of the 2018 World Cup is almost over. It's almost like saying goodbye to an old friend. There's a rumor going around that Daniel will award ten bonus points if your first tournament picks up, (in fact, I might have started this rumor.) So, having rocked France from the start I do not have big reservations. I know Luka Modric told the press that she did not respect Croatia by mentioning how exhausted they are, but surely now, after three games of overtime, they must be close to their physical limit. Three more times, it's 90 minutes – it's all an extra match.

How will France beat an opponent so tight? Although Modric is the tournament's best midfielder, France's midfielder is not too ugly. Paul Pogba begins to take shape; his bouncy runs and his ability to make a mistake are priceless.

I enjoyed the work of Blaise Matuidi against Belgium in the semifinals and N & # 39; golo Kante is also performing well. Needless to say, Antoine Griezmann has the ability to provoke panic in Croatian defense.

The French will be hard to break. In Varane and Samuel Umtiti, they have defenders of exceptional skill and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is about the best in the world right now.

Croatia had a remarkable tournament. For such a small country to have progressed so far, it says a lot about its technical capabilities, the strength of football culture and, more importantly, the pride of the jersey. Australia has benefited from the Croatian diaspora and they will have a lot of supporters in this part of the world.

Just look at Domagoj Vida's goal celebrations against Russia quarter-finals to see what this tournament means for Croatia. I'm not sure what you call her hairstyle, but the unscrupulous show, ripping the shirts, yellow-card-be-dammed was something to behold.

Not having a world-class striker does not seem to worry Croatia – they shared goals and do not care who will be on the scoresheet against France.

This promises to be a superb match. For all the physical obstacles of Croatia, if the match goes on, they will have the impression of having the mental advantage.

For France to come first, I think they have to win in normal times and I think Kylian Mbappe's Croatian Defense speed towards the end. France wins 2-0 with two goals scored after 80th minute