France’s smooth progress to the knockout round with two wins and a draw has made them favourites to beat an Argentina side who were thrashed by Croatia and needed a late winner against Nigeria to book their place.
It also glossed over a clutch of underwhelming group phase performances by Les Bleus, whose galaxy of young stars have yet to truly shine on the biggest stage.
Messi, his World Cup legacy and Argentina’s over-reliance on the Barcelona forward, however, have dominated the narrative leading into Saturday’s clash at Kazan Arena.