Excerpt: Prediction, Odds & Betting tips for England vs. France | Group Stage, World Cup Qatar 2022
Excerpt: Prediction, Odds & Betting tips for England vs. France | Group Stage, World Cup Qatar 2022
The European derby between England and France will decide which team advances to the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. For many, this is the biggest game of the tournament so far. According to the bookies, these two units have the best chances of winning the title with Brazil. And that’s why this game attracts so much attention. Plus, a historic rivalry between these two nations.
England
Three Lions were lucky so far to meet with teams that are more or less mediocre. Really, Iran, the USA, Wales, and Senegal aren’t the elite of today’s world football, and that was a convenience for Gareth Southgate’s crew, who didn’t spend too much energy up until this point.
Overall, England uses a thunder-lightning counter-attack to hurt the rivals, and so far, that has been productive. Southgate was a defender during his playing career, and his tactics are the same now.
England blitzed all of its rivals in Qatar, starting with Iran, then Wales, and eventually Senegal, whom they knocked out at the very finish of the first half. We need to add that Raheem Sterling probably won’t play this game due to the incident back home with the criminals breaking into his home.
France
The Gauls have Mbappe. With five goals and two assists, he is the top contender for the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot and right now, looks unstoppable. In our opinion, he is just the tip of the French spear and the comparative advantage of the French team, which is perfectly used.
Didier Deschamps knows how to maximize Mbappe and his qualities, but also, the former midfield covered up Pogba’s and Kante’s absence assigning a different role to Griezmann, who is maybe the most important player in France.
In all the games at the World Cup, the Gauls have allowed a goal, but on the other side, they scored at least two in each of their three victories. The attack is probably the best in the tournament because, besides Mbappe, they have Giroud and Dembele, each with his role and positive impact.
England: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Bellingham, Rice, Henderson; Saka, Kane, Foden
France: Lloris; Kounde, Varane, Upamecano, T. Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe; Giroud
The most recent competitive encounter between these two nations was back in 2012 EURO, and it ended 1-1. The latest happened in 2017, and France beat England 3-2.
Overall, these two teams are pretty close when looking at the current quality. If it weren’t for all the injuries in France, we wouldn’t have any doubts about it, but in this specific case, it’s better to go with under 2.5 goals. Both teams will be cautious and defensive-minded, waiting for an opportunity to strike from a counter-attack.
Our verdict: Under 2.5 goals