FIFA World Cup
World Cup 2018: France vs Australia Preview
Kazan, Russia – France, and Australia set to go head to head in the first clash of Group C being the first game of the day.
France is the bookies’ choice for topping the group which also includes Australia, Denmark, and Peru. Australia could be the surprise package of the group.
Current form:
France head into the tie as heavy favorites even though their form has been patchy of late with their last game coming in the form of a draw against lowly Luxembourg.
Australia will start the tie in something of a purple patch having won two of their last three matches. The Socceroos stuttered on the road to Russia, eventually scraping past Syria in an Asian qualification play-off before beating Honduras over two legs in the Intercontinental play-off round.
Previous Encounter: France 6-0 Australia (2013)
The two sides have met three times in their history. With the last encounter came on 11th October 2013 at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris.
Team News:
France has a fully fit squad with Didier Deschamps relieved that star player Antoine Griezmann has resolved his future with him set to stay at Athletico Madrid.
The two youngest players at the World Cup – Daniel Arzani of Australia and Kylian Mbappe of France – could go head-to-head in this fixture.
Australia has veteran and Australian legend Tim Cahil on the bench with one last hoorah at the World Cup. Star Player Aaron Mooy is set to start and will be hoping to cause problems to this France side.
Potential Lineups:
France:
Lloris; Mendy, Varane, Rami, Pavard; Kante, Pogba, Tolisso; Mbappe, Lemar, Griezmann
Australia:
Ryan; Risdon, Sainsbury, Jedinak, Behich; Luongo, Mooy, Leckie, Kruse, Irvine; Juric
Match Prediction:
There are good reasons why France are odds-on to beat Australia convincingly, and the combined threat of Griezmann, Mbappe and Lemar is high on the list. But the Socceroos have a decent scoring record against the world’s elite, so there is a chance they will sneak a consolation goal, given that two of France’s key defenders are doubtful for the match. This should be an easy win for the French.
