Zlatan Ibrahimovic makes bold claim for the World Cup final
· Yahoo Sports
Former football star-turned-analyst Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been consistent with his praise of Spain during this year’s World Cup, and he is backing them to beat Argentina in the final match on Sunday night.
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Spain are through to the final after dominating France in the semifinals, and Ibrahimovic feels La Roja can do it again versus La Albiceleste, who had a few close calls in the earlier stages of the knockout phase.
“Spain handled France very good. I believe they can handle this Argentina. Also, they’re gonna play their possession. Argentina is not a counterattacking team,” Ibrahimovic said. “I believe Spain is gonna do their thing. They’re gonna play collectively… I believe Spain is going to dominate that game.”
To Ibrahimovic’s point, Spain have been one of the top-performing teams in the quadrennial tournament. Since their shocking goalless draw against Cape Verde in the opener, Luis de la Fuente’s men have never lost, scoring 13 goals while conceding only one on the other end.
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July 16, 2026; East Hanover, New Jersey, U.S.; Spain’s Lamine Yamal during training. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn ImagesLamine Yamal and Pedro Porro expected to be fit against Argentina despite fitness concerns
Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro trained separately from their teammates on Thursday during their first training session ahead of the World Cup final. However, they are expected to be available for Sunday against Argentina.
Yamal was photographed with a wrap on his leg, and the 19-year-old winger had recently dealt with a hamstring injury. The Barcelona winger has logged 496 minutes of play and has started every World Cup match, except against Cape Verde.
“As far as I know, Lamine has nothing serious. I’ve just spoken with the medical staff, and everything looks positive,” head coach Luis de la Fuente told reporters.
Yamal and Porro played pivotal roles in Spain’s dominant outing against France, with the latter scoring the second goal. In the semifinal victory, Yamal played the full 90 minutes, while Porro left the pitch in the 85th minute due to leg discomfort.