Australia vs France Odds: Preview & Predictions As Socceroos Seek An Upset
Australia vs France Predictions:
- France To Win - 1.25 With Unibet
- France -1 - 1.86 With Betfair
- Kylian Mbappe To Score - 1.75 With Labrokes
- Nathaniel Atkinson To Be Booked - 3.75 With Bet365
The Socceroos will face a baptism of fire when they take on the mighty France in their opening World Cup match on Wednesday morning.
Betting sites make Graham Arnold’s men the 12.0 underdogs for this game, so they will certainly have their work cut out.
However, they are currently on a five-game unbeaten streak, and they were very competitive against Les Bleus at the last World Cup, so hope springs eternal for Australia.
We have analysed the key betting markets for the Socceroos’ World Cup opener and provided tips for each of them.
Can Australia beat France?
Unfortunately, that looks highly unlikely. France needed to dig deep to scrape a 2-1 win against Australia in their opening game at the last World Cup, but they improved as the tournament wore on and were eventually crowned world champions.
Didier Deschamps’ men do not look quite as strong this time around, as they will be missing injured quintet N’Golo Kanté, Paul Pogba, Karim Benzema, Christopher Nkunku and Prsenel Kimbembe.
They flopped at last year’s European Championship, but France bounced back by winning the UEFA Nations League, and they finished top of their World Cup qualifying group with an unbeaten record.
They look a little light in midfield, but Real Madrid youngsters Aurélin Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga are very promising, and they will be undaunted by the prospect of facing Ajdin Hrustic, Aaron Mooy and Jackson Irvine.
Australia could only finish third in their qualifying group, behind Saudi Arabia and Japan.
The Socceroos did well to beat the UAE and Peru in the playoffs, but a game against France represents a huge step up in class. It is likely to prove too much for Arnold’s team, as odds on World Cup betting sites show.
Tip: France To Win - 1.25 With Unibet
Back France To Win By At Least Two Goals
When you consider the wealth of world-class attacking options at Deschamps’ disposal, it is easy to imagine France winning this match comfortably.
They suffered a blow when Benzema was ruled out of the tournament with a thigh injury, but they won the World Cup in 2018 without him.
Kylian Mbappé is the main man for France in attack, but Ousmane Dembélé has also been on fire for Barcelona, and either Antoine Griezmann or Olivier Giroud would serve as a strong foil for that duo.
Australia are not blessed with such an abundance of attacking talent, so they will approach this game with cautious tactics. They will try to keep things tight at the back, defend deep against Mbappé and try to hit Les Bleus on the counterattack.
Australia could keep France at bay for large periods of the game, but individual brilliance from Mbappé, Dembélé and Griezmann could ultimately prove to be their undoing.
You can find odds of 1.86 on a standard France -1 handicap with the best football betting sites, which means they need to win by at least two goals.
They could only win by a single goal in 2018, but France should be a little more comfortable this time around.
Tip: France -1 - 1.86 With Betfair
Who Will Score When The Socceroos take on France?
Kylian Mbappé will be even more crucial to his team’s chances of success now that Benzema has been ruled out with an injury.
He scored four times during France’s triumphant World Cup campaign in 2018, including a sumptuous long-range strike against Croatia in the final, and he is even more dangerous now.
Mbappé is 23 years of age, and he appears to be approaching the peak of his powers. He plays alongside two superstars in Lionel Messi and Neymar at PSG, but he regularly outshines them.
The French forward is the joint-top scorer in both the Champions League and Ligue 1 this season, with 19 goals in 20 matches.
That includes seven goals in his last five appearances, which is ominous form to carry into the World Cup, and he should have enough pace, quality and ingenuity to put the Socceroos to the sword.
Tip: Kylian Mbappé To Score - 1.75 With Ladbrokes
Nathaniel Atkinson To Be Booked Is Worth A Punt
Mbappé likes to drift out to the left of the attack and cut into the middle before unleashing pin-point strikes with the outside of his right foot.
Right-backs typically endure a torrid time when trying to defend against him, so this could be a difficult match for Nathaniel Atkinson.
He is not accustomed to playing against such elite opposition when representing Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.
He may need to bring Mbappé down on a couple of occasions, so the odds on him going in the book look appealing.
Tip: Nathaniel Atkinson To Be Booked - 3.75 With Bet365
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