Hugo Lloris believes that France are aiming to write their "own history and story" ahead of the upcoming World Cup final in Qatar.

The eyes of the world are on Qatar at the moment ahead of Sunday's World Cup final at the Lusail Iconic Stadium. France are aiming to become the first defending champions of the tournament in 60 years. Meanwhile, Argentina are attempting to win the world's most iconic trophy for the first time since 1986.

The main focus is on Lionel Messi ahead of the final, with the superstar aspiring to win his first ever World Cup. However, Lloris believes that it is "a match between France and Argentina", and not a match between Messi and France.

  • Virus woes in camp

Preparation is key ahead of the biggest match in world football, but France's build-up has been far from ideal.

The squad has been hit by the flu ahead of the match on Sunday, which has caused several players to isolate in their rooms. Kingsley Coman, Raphael Varane and Ibrahima Konate trained away from the squad on Friday to try and minimise the risk of the virus spreading.

Dayot Upamecano and Adrien Rabiot were unavailable for their semi-final win over Morocco, and Didier Deschamps had little to say about the situation.

He said: "I'm fine thank you, but I left early. The players were all asleep so I don't have the latest news."

“We are doing our best to take precaution and adapt where necessary. Of course we would have preferred not to face this difficult but we are doing the best we can with our medical experts."

Lloris added: “I haven’t gotten news from last night. I haven’t seen anyone this morning. I’m sure we’ll get news in the next training sesssion. On the virus, you aren’t prepared for everything. These are things we never prepared for, but we remain focused and excited”.

  • Future plans for France

Deschamps has managed France since 2012, and has endured a superb managerial career. The manager led them to World Cup success in 2018, and Nations League victory in 2021.

He is regarded as one of the finest managers in international football, but he believes his future as France manager is not dependent on the result tomorrow.

He said: “I don’t know what I can say really. Being the France coach for so long has been a tremendous opportunity. Most important thing is the team and we’ll focus on that tomorrow. My future won’t depend on tomorrow’s result."

  • Argentina's style 

Argentina have had a mixed journey to the World Cup final. After beginning with a 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia, the South American side have slowly built momentum in Qatar. Against Croatia, they looked at their best, which will make France fearful ahead of the final.

Lloris believes that Argentina are a strong side who will be tough to face at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.

He said: "Well I can say from what I've seen of them in the World Cup. They are a very well-organised side, very strong defensively, and they use a very aggressive press on whoever has the ball. They're very good on the break, and of taking advantage of their opponents mistakes. We have to be ready in all aspects."

"Over the years, Argentina has always produced some world-class players. Diego Maradona was a perfect example of that, and now we have Lionel Messi. Both are legends of football."

It seems most of the world is supporting Messi ahead of the final. The superstar is aiming to write his name in the history books, but Lloris believes that does not matter ahead of the clash.

The captain added: “We have the support of our fans. We know the French are behind us and the rest doesn’t matter. We know what Messi is in the history of football but this is a match between France and Argentina."

  • Benzema's sunday plans?

France have had a smaller squad in Qatar compared to their rivals over the tournament. Lucas Hernandez suffered a serious injury in their opening match, whilst Karim Benzema has been unavailable due to injury in the build-up to the tournament.

Rumours have been circulating that the legendary Real Madrid striker could feature in the final, but Deschamps believes it is unfair to talk about players that are not currently part of his squad.

He said: “I know players have been injured, including Benzema and Hernandez, and I’ve had 24 players. I don’t think it’s fair to these players to talk about players who aren’t here. It’s not up to me to decide who comes to watch the game. I focus on the team and the result."

France face Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday at 3 PM GMT. The eyes of the world will be glued to the clash, with it being billed as one of the most significant matches in recent years.