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Top three battles in the World Cup Final

By Nicholas MendolaJul 12, 2018, 2:10 PM EDT

The World Cup Final is Sunday, and there are three areas which could tip the scales in favor of a Croatian upset or an expected French title.

[ MORE: PST’s World Cup roundtable ]

Kante and Pogba vs. Modric, Rakitic, Brozovic

Yes, Antoine Griezmann is a midfielder, but he’s a fourth forward if N'Golo Kante and Paul Pogba are at their very best. Croatia’s midfield triangle has been responsible for much of its World Cup success, and will need to keep that up if it hopes to collect an upset.

Mandzukic renews acquaintances with La Liga CBs…

Two goals in the Champions League semifinals against Real Madrid, one the year before in the final, and an assist in that UCL run-up versus Barcelona.

So, yes, Real’s Raphael Varane and Barca’s Samuel Umtiti have tangled with him a time or two. And the big Croatian striker Mandzukic really seems to be rounding into form.

…And Giroud versus Lovren and Co.

Olivier Giroud has yet to score in the tournament, but sleeping on his industrious performance up top is a mistake. Dejan Lovren has branded himself “one of the best defenders in the world” based on this tournament and his Champions League run with Liverpool.

If France needs to whip crosses toward Giroud, we’d expect things could look a bit like the below highlight reel. Check around the 1:00 mark of this video:

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World Cup final, third-place predictions

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By Joe Prince-WrightJul 13, 2018, 9:48 AM EDT

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With the final two games of the 2018 World Cup coming up, our staff of writers have made their picks for the final time in the tournament.

[ LIVE: World Cup scores ]

France face Croatia in the World Cup final in Moscow on Sunday, while Belgium and England clash in the third-place match on Saturday in Saint Petersburg.

[ MORE: Latest 2018 World Cup news ]

Below you will see our predictions for how the third-place match and the final will play out.

Click here for live and on demand coverage of the World Cup online and via the NBC Sports App.

Joe Prince-Wright
France over Croatia
England over Belgium

Nicholas Mendola
France over Croatia
Belgium over England

Kyle Bonn
France over Croatia
Belgium over England

Matt Reed
France over Croatia
Belgium over England

Dan Karell
France over Croatia
Belgium over England

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West Ham’s Carroll, Reid face 3 months out injured

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Associated PressJul 13, 2018, 8:52 AM EDT

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LONDON (AP) West Ham pair Andy Carroll and Winston Reid have suffered setbacks in their recovery from injuries and face three more months out.

Former England striker Carroll and New Zealand defender Reid returned to London from a preseason training camp in Switzerland to undergo follow-up operations on injuries suffered last season.

“Andy played and scored in Sunday’s match (against FC Winterthur) but is still reporting some discomfort in his ankle and further scans have revealed that he requires some minor surgery to provide more strength and stability to the area,” Richard Collinge, head of the club’s medical department, said on the club website on Thursday.

“Winston has been suffering some swelling around the knee injury that he sustained at Swansea last season and he too is in need of explorative surgery to clean up the area.

“We have decided that this is the best course of action to ensure that both players have a chance of returning to full fitness as soon as possible.”

Manager Manuel Pellegrini said that in the absence of the senior pair, the club will look to add players to the five they have already signed in this offseason.

Chelsea fire Antonio Conte

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By Joe Prince-WrightJul 13, 2018, 8:04 AM EDT

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The worst kept secret in soccer is out.

Antonio Conte has been fired as Chelsea’s manager.

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The Italian coach had taken the first few days of preseason training ahead of the 2018/19 campaign, but as he entered the final year of his Chelsea contract it has been clear for months he didn’t want to be around.

And Chelsea released the following statement on Friday, as former Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri is expected to replace Conte in the coming hours.

“Chelsea Football Club and Antonio Conte have parted company. During Antonio’s time at the club, we won our sixth league title and eighth FA Cup. In the title winning season, the club set a then-record 30 wins in a 38-game Premier League season, as well as a club-record 13 consecutive league victories. We wish Antonio every success in his future career.”

Conte won the Premier League title in his first season in charge at Chelsea and he added the FA Cup in his second season, finishing fifth in the Premier League in 2017/18 as they failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. He leaves Chelsea with the best winning percentage (65.1) of any of their managers who’ve managed at least 100 Premier Leaghe games.

The former Italy and Juventus boss revolutionized Chelsea tactically after their disappointing midtable finish in 2015/16 as their title defense went horribly wrong and cost Jose Mourinho his job. The 3-4-3 formation he used was lauded and replicated across the league and his passion on the sidelines was incredible, especially in his debut season in England in 2016/17, as Chelsea won 30 of their 38 PL games.

Last season it was clear from the start he wanted to leave as he signed a new deal in the summer but only on improved terms instead of increased length, plus he clashed with the Chelsea hierarchy over transfer spending and also fell out with Diego Costa, David Luiz and other big name players.

With two trophies in two seasons in charge it is hard to describe Conte’s time at Chelsea as a failure, but the past six months have seen his situation deteriorate rapidly and it was clear he wasn’t going to walk away from the final year of his contract until he was fired.

That’s now happened and it believed Conte will pick up around $12 million in compensation from the club.

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Report: Shaqiri set for Liverpool medical on release-clause deal

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By Andy EdwardsJul 12, 2018, 10:20 PM EDT

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Xherdan Shaqiri‘s potential transfer from Stoke City to Liverpool has moved from “run-of-the-mill transfer rumor” to “this could actually get done and be announced tomorrow” with shocking efficiency.

[ TRANSFER RUMORS: Malcom to Spurs, Bale to Man Utd “advanced” ]

The 26-year-old Swiss star has an $17-million relegation release clause in his Stoke contract, and after the Potters were relegated from the Premier League in May, neither Shaqiri nor Stoke — who would likely be on the hook for the entirety of his reported $85,000-per-week wages — want any part of one another any longer. According to multiple reports out of the UK, he is set to undergo the standard medical examination on Friday before signing a contract to join Liverpool.

Liverpool seems a pretty natural landing spot for a player of Shaqiri’s 1) technical and physical skill set, and 2) familiarity with the PL and the English game — plus European competitions from his days at Basel — as a whole. The Reds were on the cusp of signing a very difference attacker in Lyon’s Nabil Fekir last month, but pulled the plus at the last minute when unable to agree contract structure for a player with a history of serious knee problems.

[ MORE: Mahrez, Man City share no. 1 goal: win the Champions League ]

Shaqiri is, for all intents and purposes, a perfectly suitable backup plan. The fact that he comes at a price $60 million cheaper than Fekir, and with a full understanding of the league and living in England, are just (massive and gigantic) feathers in the cap of Jurgen Klopp.

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