13th July, 2018
Photo: Sky Sports
SuperSport analyst Dwight Yorke, who has been sharing his expert opinion on DStv and GOtv during the World Cup, has put his neck on the line by predicting victory for France in Sunday’s final.
The former Trinidad and Tobago captain will be on duty for the Russia 2018 showpiece match, with the build-up live on DStv and GOtv from 2pm, along with Andy Townsend and Austin “Jay-Jay” Okocha.
Yorke believes that the French have enough quality to overcome Croatia and win a second world title.
“On paper, they are favorites and rightly so with the number of potential match winners in their squad when compared to their opponents. Pogba, Mbappe, Griezmann and Kante all have the ability to turn the game on its head in an instant and it’s the quality possessed by these players that will see them win,” he said.
On their unconvincing run to the final, he said: “It’s the World Cup final and it doesn’t really matter how you get there so long as you get there. They never really hit top gear in the group stages where they always squeaked through by the odd goal, but one always felt that they were just one gear away from overrunning their opponents,” he explained.
He, however, cautioned against writing off Croatia on the assumption that they’ll be weary after having played three matches that went into extra time.
“People read too much into playing matches which have gone the distance of extra time and Croatia showed that against a much younger England side, who were expected to run them ragged. The hunger and desire they displayed in that match showed they wanted it more.
“They’ve earned their right to contest Sunday’s final and have a really good chance of pulling an upset,” he said.