Prediction: France vs Australia

Prediction: France win

Best Odds: 1/4

Bookmaker: bet365

While some groups at this year’s World Cup are considered to be quite open, there are a few where the winner has already been determined – with Group C being a perfect example of that. France & Australia represent, objectively, the best and the worst of the group, and they’ll kick off their WC campaigns against one another this weekend. While it may not be the most attractive of games on paper, the David vs Goliath stereotype is one that will always have a lot of appeal in the world of association football.

France

There’s often a great deal of pressure on Europe’s finest to perform to the highest possible standard on the world stage, and for France, there’s no exception to that rule. From the goalkeepers, all the way down to the forwards they possess an insane amount of depth, and while that’s no guarantee of success, they seem to have finally found the formation that suits them ahead of the World Cup. They may not be the favourites to lift the trophy, but if they can ease through their group, anything can happen in the knockouts. Of course, as we’ve seen at this tournament before, they aren’t immune to the pressures of living up to expectations.

Team News

Djibril Sidibe will be racing against the clock to be fit for this game, whereas Samuel Umtiti isn’t at 100% either.

Australia

The Aussies are, in many ways, fortunate to even be competing at the World Cup in the wake of their subpar performances in qualifying. They barely snuck past Syria in the Fourth Round before edging their way past Honduras, and now, they’ll need to regroup if they want to have any hope of progressing into the knockout stages. Peru and Denmark are both considered to be dangerous in certain areas of the pitch, but Australia don’t really have that killer instinct that is required to succeed at this level. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – their heart and determination are what could take them towards an unlikely second-place finish.

Team News

Australia have no fresh injury concerns and will go into the game with a full squad, as Tim Cahill bids to lead the line at the age of 38.

Factors to Consider

• France’s next game will be against Peru on Thursday.
• Australia’s next game will be against Denmark on Thursday.
• France have lost just one of their last six games (3-2 vs Colombia).
• Australia have lost two of their last six games (Norway & Japan).
• France have a 2-1 lead in the head to head, with one draw.

Conclusion

We can only suspend our disbelief so much, even when it comes to the World Cup. Australia have proven in the past that having a lot of heart can take you an awfully long way in these kinds of tournaments, but the depth in France’s squad should be far too much to overcome. We think they’ll get off to a slow start before eventually pulling away, with the eventual result being 2-0 to the favourites.

Prediction: France win

Best Odds: 1/4

Bookmaker: bet365