10 things to watch in Sunday's World Cup final between France and Italy

Ten things to watch in Sunday's World Cup final between France and Italy


Barthez vs. Buffon
France's Fabien Barthez is an acrobatic show-stopper with a penchant for the bizarre. He often punches the ball rather than catch it, with some occasionally unpredictable consequences but has a good record at the World Cup. Italy's Gianluigi Buffon , the most expensive goalkeeper in the world at $46 million, is rock-solid. Buffon inspires his defense, while Barthez can give his a headache. A goalkeeping error by Germany's Oliver Kahn played a pivotal role in his team's 2-0 loss to Brazil in the 2002 final.


Referee Horacio Elizondo
The 42-year-old physical education teacher from Argentina has issued 22 yellows and two straight reds in his four previous games at the tournament. But 18 of those cards came in two games: Switzerland-South Korea (10 yellows) and Ghana-Czech Republic (seven yellows and one red). Elizondo pulled out just one yellow in the high-profile tournament opener between Germany and Costa Rica, and he does not go to his pocket early. Of the 24 cards he has issued, only two came before the 30-minute mark (18th and 23rd).


Set Pieces
Both teams have plenty of weapons in their dead-ball arsenal. France's Thierry Henry can be deadly from free kicks although he has yet to put one on target at the tournament. Zinedine Zidane can curl in a sweet corner and is an iceman at the penalty spot. Italy's Francesco Totti leads the tournament with five free kicks on goal, while Andrea Pirlo is another legitimate threat to score from set pieces. Totti also showed against Australia he can convert a penalty when it counts.


Regarding Henry
Arsenal striker Thierry Henry likes to lurk on the wing, usually the left, and then work his way into the penalty box or fire in a cross. He is a master at creating space from a defender and doesn't need much room to get off a shot. Henry also has magnificent ball control. Watch him as he brings down a long ball from a teammate.


Targetmen
Francesco Totti and Thierry Henry have been among the most accurate players at the tournament. Of the 14 shots each has attempted, 11 were on target (Henry has three goals, Totti has one). Going into the third-place match, only Germany's Miroslav Klose has had more shots on goal.


Midfield Steel
Gennaro Gattuso is the main destroyer for the Italians with 31 tackles in five games. Gattuso can be ruthless in the tackle but has only been called for 10 fouls. Still, more than a few opponents will remember him. Andrea Pirlo has made another 20 tackles. The French watchdogs are Patrick Vieira (31 tackles, 14 fouls) and Claude Makelele (nine tackles, 13 fouls). Much of what Makelele does goes under the radar but chances are you will see a lot of short passes originating from No. 6 as the French begin an attack.


The Italian Way
While Italy has options on the flank, often Francesco Totti, Andrea Pirlo and others look to get the ball to big striker Luca Toni at the front. Toni can then either look to get past his defender or hold the ball up and pass it to a supporting teammate.


Captain Fantastic
Watch the way Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro patrols Azzurri territory and anticipates enemy attacks. He has great vision and can make a beeline for the ball before it reaches the opponent it was destined for. Just 1.75 meters (5-foot-9), he is also good in the air.


Zizou's Finale
Keep an eye on Zinedine Zidane and watch how he freezes opponents with stepovers and body feints. He then uses his opponent's imbalance to deliver a seeing-eye pass to a teammate.


Hard-charging Vieira
Statuesque France midfielder Patrick Vieira has a penchant for coming in late, moving into space vacated by a defense tending to other threats, to receive a pass and take a shot at goal. Vieira picks his spots, but can be deadly.