2022 World Cup: France vs. Australia Preview, Odd, Prediction

France meets Australia in the opening game of their another run at the World Cup title. The reigning champions came to Qatar plagued by injuries, and for the moment, it seems that the French unit is cursed. Still, with Benzema and Mbappe, the Gauls can go all the way, despite having multiple problems. Australia is one of the weakest teams in the tournament, coming here through the playoffs, unfairly we might add, because they didn’t show anything. By the way, these two teams met four years ago in Russia, also at the World Cup.

Preview

France (-400) is without Pogba and Kante, and the most recent news was that Nkunku had to leave the camp due to an injury. Although, they are the top candidates besides Brazil for the title because of their incredible star power and the fantastic Didier Deschamps, who is among the best head coaches in the tournament.

The recent performances of the Gauls haven’t been persuasive, but that’s the way this unit plays. They don’t mind about “regular” contests, yet have a plan for higher purposes. In six UNL games, France won only one, losing three and posting two draws.

Like always, they rely upon a very fast transition and an extremely tough block in front of their own goal. Some say that Mbappe and Benzema don’t have the needed chemistry upfront and that it could be a problem for Deschamps, though we don’t think like that.

Australia (-1000) reached Qatar following the playoffs in which they eliminated Peru after one of the dullest World Cup contests in all the zones. At first, it was a goalless draw, but the Socceroos advanced following the penalty shootout.

The recent form is solid, but the rivals have been pretty weak teams. We watched their results during the qualifiers and found out that as soon as Aussies step outside their soil, losses are pretty frequent.

Latest News

Nkunku is out and Kolo Muani is summoned instead of Leipzig’s forward. Benzema should be fit for this event as the medical staff expressed their positive assessment.

On the other side, Martin Boyle had some problems, but he is in the squad, while Ajdin Hrustic, the key player, is apparently ready to play.

Head to Head Games

France and Australia played in Russia four years ago, in the group stage too. The final result of that event was 2-1 for the Gauls who later won the title. France had to work hard because after taking the lead, the Aussies responded and didn’t give up. Eventually, the Gauls won due to an own goal scored by one of the Australian players.

Prediction

Australia will defend in this one, and there is no way that the Socceroos’ tactics will be different. Simply, this team doesn’t have the quality to control the game or create attacks, and we really do think that the Aussies are one of the worst teams in the World Cup. On the other side, France should start the tournament confidently and with success, which is why we bet on their win by at least a two-goal margin. After all, they are the world champs.

Pick: France -1.5 -110