Before the 2018 World Cup is consigned to the past, Steve Luckings and Jon Turner offer their thoughts on the final, and share their most memorable moments from the tournament, including the best goals. They also turn their attention to the future and assess which players may have earned lucrative moves off the back of their World Cup performances.

France, world champions in 1998, contest their third World Cup final, while Croatia, population four million, are bidding to win the tournament for the first time.

Zlatko Dalic, less than 10 months into the Croatia job, will pit his wits against France’s Didier Deschamps, who is bidding to join Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer as the only men to have lifted the World Cup as both player and manager.

The stage would seem to be set for Kylian Mbappe. The teenage striker showed against Belgium why many have tipped him as a future Ballon d’Or winner. But Croatia have already proved at this tournament they care little for reputations, and in Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, have two world-class midfielders who will look to impose their influence at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.

Before that, Belgium, arguably the most entertaining side in Russia throughout the tournament, take on England in the third place play-off.

Steve Luckings and Graham Caygill offer their thoughts and analysis, and give their predictions on who will win the remaining two matches at the 2018 World Cup.

France v Belgium looks set to be a battle of the front three, with Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Grioud the big threats for France, while Belgium will look to Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku to guide them to victory. 

In the other semi-final, England are expected to continue with what has served them so well in the tournament so far; relying on crosses and set pieces as Harry Kane aims to consolidate his lead in the race to win the golden boot. For Croatia, their hopes will lie predominantly with the superstar midfield pairing of Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic.

In this Extra Time podcast, Steve Luckings and Jon Turner look ahead to the semi-finals, pick out the key players who could be decisive and discuss the tactics that will be deployed by each side. They also provide their predictions for the final.

France and Uruguay contest the first of the quarter-finals, pitting one of the World Cup's most fearsome attacks against its meanest defence.

That is followed by Brazil v Belgium in what could prove the match of the round as Neymar and Eden Hazard attempt to guide their respective sides into the semi-finals.

On Saturday, it's the turn of Sweden and England, with the latter booking their place in the last-eight with a first World Cup penalty shootout victory. Concluding the quarter-final fixtures will be Russia against Croatia as the hosts aim to keep the home fans celebrating. 

In this Extra Time podcast, Steve Luckings and Jon Turner preview the quarter-final match-ups and predict which nations will reach the final four.

Lionel Messi finally scored as Argentina managed to sneak through. Cristiano Ronaldo has had a goal-filled tournament for Portugal. Controversy and upsets have kept things interesting. And some elite sides such as Brazil and France have looked sluggish while managing to stay alive.

We discuss these topics, plus the use of VAR and its impact on the field, the tournament's highs and lows thus far and we look ahead to the group stages.

And there is plenty more World Cup coverage on our website.

Ahead of kick-off on Thursday, when hosts Russia take on Saudi Arabia in the opening match in Moscow, The National's Extra Time podcast staged a special World Cup quiz episode.

Four players, two teams battled it out in the ultimate test of World Cup trivia - John McAuley and Jon Turner took on Adam Workman and Steve Luckings with a trophy on offer for the winners and a trip to Emirates Park Zoo planned for the losing team. 

Join host and quizmaster Mustafa Alrawi to find out who emerged victorious and who is on their way to feed baby goats at the zoo!

Follow our World Cup coverage: www.thenational.ae/sport/world-cup-2018

Music: "Navajo Night" by Audionautix

With the host nation playing Saudi Arabia in the opener, Argentina perhaps featuring Lionel Messi for the final time and Egypt hoping to have a fully fit Mohammed Salah, there are plenty of storylines to keep up with. We look at these talking points, give predictions and more in this episode of Extra Time.

Follow The National and McAuley through Russia at www.thenational.ae/sport.

The Indian-born batsman gave his views on the UAE government's announcement last week that expatriates will be eligible to join local clubs and represent the country in all sports from September. What impact will the new regulations have on the country's cricket scene, which already allows expats to play for the national side? What does it mean for an expat like him to wear the UAE jersey? And does he see himself playing alongside Emiratis one day? 

Suri, 23, also talked about the UAE cricket team's continued success on the global stage, their preparations for Asia Cup qualification, as well as his experience during last year's Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament.

Extra Time, produced by Kevin Jeffers, is the podcast from The National’s sport desk. Subscribe to and rate the show on Apple Podcasts, or listen on Audioboom, Pocket Cast or your favourite podcasting app.

Arsenal have begun the search for Wenger's successor as the club look to the future without the man who has helped deliver much of their success.

A day after Wenger's announcement, Arsenal's great rivals Tottenham were defeated in the FA Cup semi-final as another season goes by without Spurs ending their 10-year wait for a trophy. 

Meanwhile, Chelsea are gathering momentum and have halved the points deficit on fourth-placed Tottenham in the Premier League and are through to a second successive FA Cup final.

In this week's Extra Time podcast, Jon Turner, Steve Luckings and Graham Cayill give their take on Wenger's impending exit, look at the situation at Tottenham and predict whether Chelsea can deliver what is expected to be a farewell gift to manager Antonio Conte.

It might have been a surprising and anti-climactic conclusion to their pursuit of the title, but there was nothing dull about City's season. A record 18 consecutive wins is testament to City's dominance this season as Pep Guardiola and his side target more records with five games remaining.

In this week's Extra Time podcast, Jon Turner, Steve Luckings and Graham Caygill pour over City's achievement, pick out the key moments and players, and look at how Guardiola turned City from the third-best team in the Premier League last season to the dominant force of the division. The final part of the show focuses on the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year shortlists, and the arguments for whether the award show go to Kevin De Bruyne or Mohamed Salah.

The Pakistan-born Khurram began by talking about his background and how he made his way from the central city of Multan to glitzy Dubai in the mid-1990s, dreaming of playing international cricket one day.

Cricket fans will recall how Khurram and then-UAE coach Aaqib Javed plotted their team’s qualification for the 2015 World Cup. A long-term employee of Emirates Airlines, he talked about his experience leading the team during those heady days. He also opened up about other highs, and some lows, that made an international career spanning one and a half decades a truly memorable one.

Khurram, 46, also gave his views about the state of the game in the UAE. He credited the Emirates Cricket Board for starting a contract system that helped turn amateur players professional in 2016. But he gave a frank assessment of some developments of which he is not a fan. Listen in.

Extra Time, produced by Kevin Jeffers, is the podcast from The National’s sport desk. Subscribe to and rate the show on Apple Podcasts, or listen on Audioboom, Pocket Cast or your favourite podcasting app.

With the new season now under way, organisers of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix announced that tickets had gone on sale with a few improvements made to the fan experience ahead of the race's 10th anniversary in November.

In this week's Extra Time podcast, Jon Turner talks to Graham Caygill who has covered every Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since its inception. Graham explains the changes to the ticket process, picks his favourite moments from past Abu Dhabi races and offers his thoughts on the new F1 season based on what he saw in Melbourne.

While the UAE managed to retain their ODI status, Nepal achieved the landmark for the first time in their history. This is obviously the good news for both sides as it means they will receive much-needed funds from the International Cricket Council, the game's global governing body, to develop the sport in their respective countries.

But as the UAE have learnt over the past four years, that does not guarantee long-term success. There are other challenges that need addressing, one of which is getting them to play more matches and gaining more exposure against the world's elite teams.

In this edition of Extra Time, Assistant Sports Editor Chitrabhanu Kadalayil speaks with staff writer Paul Radley, who was in Zimbabwe to follow the UAE's progress. There are also conversations with UAE coach Dougie Brown and former Nepal captain Binod Das, who provided plenty of insight on the road ahead for their teams.

Also, what do they think about the prospects of a UAE-Nepal series? Listen in.

For Roma, the task of securing a berth in the last eight for the first time since 2008 will mean overcoming a Shakhtar Donetsk side who “play more like a Brazilian team than a Ukrainian one”, according to Eusebio di Francesco. The Italian club trail 2-1 from the first leg as the sides head to Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday.

Manchester United will hope David de Gea is a little less busier than he was at the Sanchez Pizjuan last month when they host Sevilla in the return leg. The Spanish goalkeeper pulled off a string of fine saves to deny Sevilla in that match, with the game at Old Trafford on Tuesday delicately poised at 0-0.

The most eagerly anticipated match of the week though will be played out in Spain as Barcelona take on Chelsea at the Camp Nou.

Star forward Lionel Messi returns after sitting out the weekend’s victory over Malaga to attend the birth of his son Ciro. His goal in the first leg at Stamford Bridge was his first against the English club in nine previous attempts.

With Barca holding the advantage of an away goal, it remains to be seen what line-up Antonio Conte will field against the Spanish league leaders and how he will deploy his own talisman Eden Hazard with Chelsea needing to score at Camp Nou.

European football correspondent Ian Hawkey joins host Steve Luckings on the phone to discuss the respective match-ups.

This year's tournament will also be fondly remembered for the dream run of Tunisia's Malek Jaziri, who reached the semi-finals ranked No 117, and for the impressive campaign of Russian 20-year-old Daria Kasatkina for her march to the WTA final.

Reflecting on two weeks of tennis in Dubai, Jon Turner and Graham Caygill, both of whom closely reported on the tournaments at the Aviation Club, discuss the highlights before looking ahead to the upcoming events at Indian Wells.

But for Dougie Brown and his UAE side, qualification alone is not on the line. Their livelihoods are at stake as they fight to keep their status as a one-day international team, thereby ensuring the flow of funds and resources needed to keep building the sport across the Emirates. Meanwhile, Nepal's cricketers have been very impressive on the cricket pitch even as their board of administrators face issues off it.

In this edition of Extra Time, Assistant Sports Editor Chitrabhanu Kadalayil speaks with staff writer Paul Radley, who will be in Zimbabwe to follow the UAE's progress. There is a conversation with Brown, the UAE coach, on his team's chances of qualifying. Also on the phone is Will Glenwright, the International Cricket Council's head of global development, who talks about the situation with Nepal and what the game's governing body is doing to help grow cricket in the emerging nations.

Madrid are looking to win the tournament for a third year in a row, and with the Spanish title beyond them it represents the best chance of silverware for Zinedine Zidane’s side in 2018. The match is heavily billed as the Cristiano Ronaldo versus Neymar show but an intriguing subplot is that of the contrasting fortunes of two French strikers.

Karim Benzema, once the great hope of French football, has recently found himself the target of the Madrid faithful’s ire. With the goals having dried up, Benzema could be forgiven for casting an envious glance at the plaudits being heaped on PSG’s teenage forward Kylian Mbappe, the new darling of French football, a position Benzema must yearn for given his current struggles.

Elsewhere, Tottenham, led by a prolific Harry Kane, travel to Turin to face a Juventus side who have conceded only one goal at home in their last nine games across all competitions.

Manchester City travel to Switzerland to take on Basel in what, on paper at least, looks the mismatch of the last 16. However, St Jakob-Park can be a graveyard for English clubs. Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United lost there in November. Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool have been beaten there in the past, as were Alex Ferguson’s United.

Porto v Liverpool features an African all-stars line up. Mohamed Salah, the continent’s reigning player of the year, and fellow winger Sadio Mane will provide the pace on Liverpool’s flanks at the Dragao. Meanwhile, Porto’s attacking trio of Vincent Aboubakar, of Cameroon, Moussa Marega, of Mali, and Yacine Brahimi, of Algeria, have reached 50 goals combined for the Portuguese league leaders.

A thunderbolt equaliser, two contentious penalty decisions, and two goals in injury-time ensured a breathless end to the game at Anfield. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was left raging while defender Virgil van Dijk has all but accused Tottenham players of cheating. It was better news for Spurs' great rivals Arsenal this weekend after a 5-1 thrashing of Everton was inspired by their two January signings. Having let Alexis Sanchez join Manchester United, Arsenal now have two new heroes in Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. A rare blip from Manchester City saw the league leaders held to a draw at Burnley, and with United beating Huddersfield Town, their lead has been reduced to 13 points. 

In this week's Extra Time podcast, host Jon Turner is joined on the phone by Premier League football correspondent Richard Jolly to get his thoughts on the latest action. Richard was at Anfield and Turf Moor and will provide the expert analysis on this week's show.

Federer, at the age of 36, continues to set the tone in the men's game as his rivals battle with various injury and fitness issues. For Wozniacki, her triumph marks a major breakthrough, earning her first grand slam title at her 43rd attempt.

As the first major tournament of the year, the Australian Open can provide a window into what tennis fans can expect for the season. What can be taken away from Melbourne that might set the tone for 2018?

In this special tennis edition of Extra Time, Jon Turner and Graham Caygill reflect on the Australian Open and look forward to the season ahead.

Extra Time is the podcast from The National’s sport desk. Subscribe to and rate the show on Apple Podcasts, or listen on Audioboom, Pocket Cast or your favourite podcasting app.

Although Manchester United and Arsenal are yet to officially ratify the transfers of Alexis Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan respectively, the Chilean forward has been pictured on social media at Old Trafford in full United regalia, wearing the club’s famous No 7 shirt, a number synonymous with great United players down the years from George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Steve Luckings and Graham Caygill discuss the merits of the impending deals and whether Arsene Wenger is deluded when he says he can't understand why any player would want to leave Arsenal. 

Also up for discussion:

Manchester City banished the memory of defeat to Liverpool with victory over Newcastle United to maintain their 12-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

Tottenham were foiled in their efforts to snare three points against Southampton in a game that won’t live too long in the memory. Richard Jolly joins on the phone to talk about how a game of missed opportunities was a microcosm in each club's season. 

Marco Silva, a wanted man by Everton two months ago, is now no longer wanted by Watford. The Portuguese was sacked at the weekend following defeat to Leicester City. He is replaced by the former Malaga and Rubin Kazan coach Javi Gracia. Will the new man have the same immediate impact as Paul Lambert? The new Stoke City manager endeared himself at the Potteries by overseeing a 2-0 win over Huddersfield in his first game in charge.

Meanwhile the Copa Libertadores winners Gremio will be in action for the first time as they face Mexican club Pachuca for the right to contest Saturday’s final.

Joining Steve Luckings in the studio are sports reporter John McAuley, who was at Zayed Sports City on Saturday to see Jazira book their place in the last four with a win over Urawa Red Diamonds, and sports editor Graham Caygill.

There can be no arguing with the Arsenal manager’s gripe with the offside decision; Silva was clearly offside when he received the ball before squaring to Gabriel Jesus to round off another emphatic City win. But our Premier League correspondent, Richard Jolly, who covered the game for us, says despite the Frenchman’s frustration City were worthy winners, with Kevin de Bruyne and Fernandinho in particular catching the eye with their energy and graft in midfield.

Joining Steve Luckings in the studio this week is sports editor Graham Caygill to discuss Antonio Conte laying down the law to defender David Luiz by omitting the Brazilian from the Chelsea side that saw off Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. After a week of unrest following the defeat to Roma, the Chelsea manager tackled another of his squad’s biggest characters head on and won. For now at least.

We’ll also look at Tottenham’s dogged determination to grind out three points against bottom club Crystal Palace four days after the high of destroying Real Madrid in the Uefa Champions League. There was a much-needed and morale-boosting win for Everton, who came from two goals down to beat Watford, and Sean Dyche continues to enhance his reputation as his Burnley side recorded another win on the road.

European football correspondent Richard Jolly also joins us on the phone to discuss #ManchesterUnited’s defeat to Huddersfield Town that saw Jose Mourinho question the attitude of his players. We’ll look ahead to see when Sergio Aguero might break #ManchesterCity’s scoring record after the Argentine striker levelled Eric Brook’s tally of 177 goals with his penalty in the 3-0 win over #Burnley.

Top of the table in England plays top of the pile in Napoli: Manchester City, scorer of 29 Premier League goals so far, face a Napoli side with 25 top-flight Serie A goals as Pep Guardiola looks to cement City’s place as a true force in the European elite hierarchy.

Steve Luckings and Graham Caygill look at the state of play after the latest round of Premier League fixtures after Arsenal’s all-too-familiar shortcomings once again reared their ugly head in the 2-1 defeat to Watford and ask whether the criticism of Jose Mourinho for “parking the bus” against Liverpool is justified.

Also joining them on the phone is sports reporter John McAuley who will be giving an update on the UAE manager’s association with Alberto Zaccheroni set to be named Edgardo Bauza’s replacement.

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