Spain v Argentina LIVE: World Cup closing ceremony ahead of Messi going for glory in final

So we’ve got the rumoured line-ups – but official team news for the World Cup will be dropping in a moment.

Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro are expected to be fit for Spain despite training alone on Thursday as a precautionary measure. Luis de la Fuente’s only confirmed absentees are wingers Victor Munoz and Yeremy Pino.

Argentina, meanwhile, appear to have a fully fit team. Facundo Medina is the only doubt having not featured for Lionel Scaloni’s side since hobbling off in the round of 32, but it appears Nicolas Tagliafico has won over the Argentine manager since stepping in at left-back anyway.

Amid ticketing chaos and long queues outside the ground, the first fans are finally into the stadium under the New Jersey sun.

We’re just getting word of the reported line-ups Spain and Argentina will field for the World Cup final…

Spain are set to name an unchanged side from the one that beat France in the semis, while Nico Gonzalez and Gonzalo Montiel come in for Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Moline for the holders.

Spain XI: Simon; Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Ruiz; Yamal, Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal.

Argentina XI: Martinez; Montiel, Romero, Martinez, Tagliafico; De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Allister, Gonzalez; Messi, Alvarez.

We all know why you’ve tuned in to this live blog – it’s for the World Cup closing ceremony, of course! The true main event of the evening.

Well, for those of you who have been teetering on the edge of your seat to see the likes of Robbie Williams and Tom Cruise (in what capacity?) perform in a Fifa extravaganza, the wait is nearly over.

The closing ceremony kicks off in 10 minutes – here’s everything you need to know:

Argentina’s penchant for a foul has angered opposition fans throughout the World Cup, with England fans especially leaving their semi-final with the feeling that their opponents got off lightly with the referee.

But are Argentina actually a dirty team? Miguel Delaney delves into the tactics utilised by the holders:

Anticipation is building around MetLife Stadium with a little under two hours until kick-off.

The Argentina fans are certainly ready… This could be epic

Our Chief Football Writer Miguel Delaney has previewed a World Cup final with perhaps more storylines than any other.

See what Miguel has to say

Fifa recommended that fans get to the New York/New Jersey Stadium four hours before kick-off – and we’ve begun to see why.

There are reports of long queues forming outside the ground with security staff saying that Fifa system glitches are not allowing their passes to be scanned.

Fans are also being misdirected around the stadium due to a lack of stewarding.

Meanwhile, Spanish outlet AS have claimed journalists were left queueing for hours to get into the ground.

Under Luis de la Fuente, Spain have managed to reclaim the footballing identity that they became so synonymous with in the previous decade.

Yet, they’ve added a modern twist. Miguel Delaney examines how they’ve managed to do that and asks whether their style of play is actually boring.

It’s been Lionel Messi vs Kylian Mbappe for the golden boot all tournament – but after yesterday’s remarkable 10-goal “bronze final”, Argentina’s talisman will require a performance for the books.

Mbappe took a giant leap towards the individual accolade with his double, which not only took him two clear of Messi but also broke the Argentinian’s all-time World Cup goalscoring record, which the 38-year-old only snatched from Miroslav Klose at the beginning of the campaign.

Messi will now need at least a hat-trick – or two goals and an assist – to beat Mbappe and top the standings.

1. Kylian Mbappe (France), 10 goals, (4 assists) – 769 minutes played

2. Lionel Messi (Argentina), 8 goals (4 assists) – 712 minutes played

4. Erling Haaland (Norway), 7 goals (0 assists) – 537 minutes played

5. Ousmane Dembele (France), 6 goals (2 assists) – 648 minutes played

6. Harry Kane (England), 6 goals (1 assist) – 732 minutes played

7. Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain), 5 goals (1 assist) – 599 minutes played