Last updated & checked: 10/08/2021
One of the pre-tournament favourites, France, kick-off their World Cup campaign on Saturday morning against Australia in what is one of four games on that day. The French boast a squad full of quality and will expect to routinely qualify from a group that includes Peru, Denmark and the Aussies.
Australia know that their chances of progression are going to come from results against the other two sides in the group, so could treat their first game as a free hit. Whilst they have some players that could cause the French trouble, the reality is there is a gulf between the nations that could get exposed.
Here we will give you France vs Australia betting tips, look at where the game will be won, the key players and a France vs Australia prediction for the Group C encounter.
Our France vs Australia Prediction: France 3-0 Australia
Our France vs Australia prediction tips is for the French to record a comfortable victory that gets them off to a perfect start.
This really is a mismatch with Didier Deschamps boasting arguably the most complete squad at the World Cup. There are few weaknesses, with pace, power and strength all over the pitch that Australia will find hard to cope with.
However, their biggest worries will come with France’s forward line. Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann are two lethal players whilst Ousmane Dembele is another tricky option from the bench.
Australia have a good midfield themselves with the likes of Aaron Mooy and Tom Rogic two technically gifted players but they will struggle to get a foothold of the game on Saturday. As mentioned, anything for Australia from this game could be viewed as a bonus which highlights the difficult task facing them.
Our recommended tip – France -1
We may have predicted France to win by three goals but we will play it safe with the recommended bet, going for France -1, meaning they need to win by two.
Quite simply, they should be far too good. Australia are very weak up front and that could see them struggling to sustain attacks and even get out. Therefore, France will put them under pressure from the off and it could get too much for them to deal with. With pace, creativity and quality all over the park, this should be a routine win and by at least two goals for the favourites.
Previous matches
The clash in Kazan will be just the fifth meeting between these sides and it hasn’t been as one-sided as you perhaps would’ve thought. France do have two wins from the four encounters but Australia defeated them in 2001 and drew earlier in the same year. Worryingly for them though, the last meeting was back in 2013 and France recorded a thumping 6-0 win.
Most recently, France have shown they can be vulnerable, losing to Colombia and drawing to a weak USA side in recent friendlies on their own patch. Australia have been a mixed bag too though, losing 4-1 to Norway but beating Czech Republic 4-0.
Top 3 World Cup Bookies
Players to watch – Paul Pogba & Kylian Mbappe
This game is sure to be one way traffic, so we’ve highlighted two French players and a lot of eyes will be on the first player – Manchester United’s Paul Pogba. He has faces a lot of criticism this season for his performances at both club and international level and needs to deliver on the big occasion. A game against Australia provides him with the perfect platform to showcase his skills and maybe chip in with a goal that could then give him confidence for the next few weeks.
His teammate Mbappe has the potential to take this tournament by storm, like Michael Owen in France ’98 or Wayne Rooney in Euro ’04. He is electric and his movement could be too much for the Australians to handle. He also provides France with a real counter-attacking threat with his pace.
