France Comes in as the 2018 World Cup Favorite vs. Australia

If you have watched World Cups in the past, you are already probably well aware that Matchday 1 in each of the groups can be a little fraught with tension. With each team playing just 3 games in the opening round, the last thing anyone wants to do is come out and lose their opener. The chances of moving into the next round drop off quite dramatically with an opening day loss, which is why we often see tight games that end in a stalemate. They are not all like that, though, especially when you have one of the 2018 World Cup Betting favorites playing one of the lesser teams in the group. In those situations, the goal is to go out and get a comfortable win that settles the nerves. That is what France will be looking at when they take to the field in Kazan on Saturday morning to face Australia, the team most likely to finish at the bottom of Group C according to the lines at MyBookie Sportsbook. France will be looking to establish their dominance in this group early on, so perhaps we should expect some offensive fireworks from Les Bleus.

France vs. Australia 2018 World Cup Betting Preview

• When: Saturday, June 16 at 6 AM EST
• Where: Kazan Arena, Kazan
• TV: FS1
• Radio: TuneIn
• Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
• 2018 World Cup Betting Odds: France -416 (Over/Under at 2.5 goals)

Why Should France be your 2018 World Cup Betting Pick?

• Confederation: UEFA
• Head coach: Didier Deschamps
• Captain: Hugo Lloris
• FIFA Ranking: 7

While the French qualified for Russia in a bit of a cakewalk, they did have a couple of instances where they played down to the level of their opponent, dropping points against Belarus and Luxembourg. They displayed that trait again last week in a friendly game against a US team consisting of mostly younger players, tying that game 1-1. The question here is whether the French can maintain a high standard of play in every game. They certainly have the talent to do so, and they also have a knack for scoring goals, scoring at least 2 goals in 7 consecutive games prior to the game against the US. I like them to pile on a little here, but since they have also given up goals in 5 of their last 6, don’t be surprised to see a consolation goal go in against them.

Possible Line-Up

• 1-H. Lloris
• 19-D. Sidibé
• 4-R. Varane
• 5-S. Umtiti
• 22-B. Mendy
• 14-B. Matuidi
• 6-P. Pogba
• 13-N. Kanté
• 9-O. Giroud
• 7-A. Griezmann
• 10-K. Mbappé

Why Should Australia be your 2018 World Cup Betting Pick?

• Confederation: AFC
• Head coach: Bert van Marwijk
• Captain: Mile Jedinak
• FIFA Ranking: 36

Australia doesn’t really have a shot at winning this one and will instead be looking to keep things as respectable as possible. They will certainly want to avoid a repeat of the 6-0 drubbing that they took at the hands of the French when they last met back in 2013. The Socceroos usually go with an attack-minded 4-3-3 formation, but I would be stunned to see that here, as they will not want to get dragged into a shootout style game against a team that is just so much better than them. The Aussies do have some offensive punch, though, so you would think that their best option would be to play things a little safer while trying to hit France on the counter-attack. If Australia can keep the French out for the first 20 minutes or so, they could begin to frustrate their opponent.

Possible Line-Up

• 1-M. Ryan
• 16-A. Behich
• 20-T. Sainsbury
• 19-J. Risdon
• 5-M. Milligan
• 7-M. Leckie
• 13-A. Mooy
• 21-M. Luongo
• 23-T. Rogić
• 11-A. Nabbout
• 10-R. Kruse

Latest Team’s Results

France

• France 1 – United States 1
• Italy 1 – France 3
• Ireland 0 – France 2
• Russia 1 – France 3
• France 2 – Colombia 3

Australia

• Hungary 1- Australia 2
• Australia 4 – Czech Republic
• Colombia 0 – Australia 0
• Norway 4 – Australia 1
• Australia 3 – Honduras 1

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

While you want every match to be competitive in the World Cup, it’s just not ever going to happen. I don’t think we are going to need to wait very long to see our first blowout of the tournament. Score: France 4 – Australia 1