France have been surprised by the physical fortitude of Croatia and are not expecting a tired opponent in Sunday's World Cup final, midfielder Blaise Matuidi said on Friday.
Croatia have been forced into extra time in each of their three knockout matches, edging Denmark and hosts Russia on post-match penalties before scoring late in added play to come from behind and beat England in Wednesday's semi-final in Moscow.
France by contrast have won all of their matches since the round of 16 inside 90 minutes, effectively playing a full match less than Croatia at the tournament in Russia.
But Matuidi said he did not think the Croats would be fatigued by their added time on the pitch over the last week.
"I don't think it's a factor," he said at news conference at the French training base on the outskirts of Moscow.
"We saw in the last game that they finished the stronger of the two teams. They did not look like a side who were playing extra time for a third time in a row. Surprisingly, they looked like they were playing their first game.
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"They are a team playing in the World Cup final, a team with players who have a lot of experience. It will be a match they will be ready for and I don't think extra time or penalties has been or will be a handicap for them."
The 31-year-old, who said it would be his last World Cup, predicted an exciting final with a high level of expertise.
"They are a team who defend well and attack well after recovering the ball. We are up against players of a high quality and with lots of experience," Matuidi said.
"It is going to be important to concentrate hard because they have tremendous qualities."
But it was much the same with the French team too, he added.
"It's the game of our lives to play in a World Cup final, a dream I've had since I was a kid. The cup feels so close we can almost touch it but there is still a lot to do to get there," he said.
"We've prepared everything to win the game even if its extra time or penalties. It's the winning that counts."
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The 15 players selected
Muzzamil Afridi, Rahman Gul, Rizwan Haider (Dezo Devils); Shahbaz Ahmed, Suneth Sampath (Glory Gladiators); Waqas Gohar, Jamshaid Butt, Shadab Ahamed (Ganga Fighters); Ali Abid, Ayaz Butt, Ghulam Farid, JD Mahesh Kumara (Hiranni Heros); Inam Faried, Mausif Khan, Ashok Kumar (Texas Titans
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Teams
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shanwari, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
