Australia vs. France Prediction
Day three of the World Cup is here as Group C gets underway with a clash between one of the tournament favorites in France and upset-minded Australia. Is France going to roll to the win or will Australia have some tricks up its sleeve?
Game Snapshot
97812 Australia vs. 97813 France
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Kazan Arena at 6AM ET
TV: FS1
Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers, France is a -417 favorite to win on the moneyline. Australia is a +950 underdog, while a draw is set at +575. The total is set at 3 goals.
Australia enters in good form
Although neither opponent was remotely the caliber of France, the last two friendlies for Australia were triumphs as it bested the Czech Republic 4-0 on June 1 and Hungary 2-1 on June 9. Australia is led in part by ageless 38-year-old forward Tim Cahill, who will attempt to become only the fourth player in World Cup history to score a goal in four different World Cups. He would join Brazil’s Pele along with Miroslav Klose and Uwe Seeler from Germany on the prestigious list.
France boasts collection of young talent
The rise and development of the French national team has been slow at times over the last few years, but there is a lot of talent on this roster with Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele being among the players who will be in the spotlight. France is coached by Didier Deschamps, who has received some criticism for how he has brought the national team along but ultimately France seems to be in a good spot entering their first tournament game. The French went 3-0-1 in its last four friendlies leading into the World Cup, the last being a 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland on May 28.
Prediction:
This game should be all France as long as it fires on all cylinders and doesn’t have first-game jitters. I just can’t see how Australia can keep up. Expect the France offensive attack to overwhelm and eventually break through for a couple, whether early or late in the game. The moneyline is too much to swallow, but it isn’t out of the question at all that the French win by multiple goals. Bet on that.
WORLD CUP DAILY PREDICTION: FRANCE GL +100