The 2022 FIFA World Cup is underway in Qatar and the Socceroos will be getting their campaign underway shortly. They take on France in their first match in Group D on Wednesday morning at 6am (AEDT). We preview the clash and bring you our best bet!
2022 FIFA World Cup: France vs Australia Betting Tips
Wednesday 6am AEDT, Al Janoub Stadium
Group D is in action on Wednesday morning with defending World Cup champions, France taking on Australia. Les Bleus (The Blues) are expected to be one of the main contenders for the trophy in Qatar and will unsurprisingly go into their first fixture as the red-hot favourites ($1.22 vs $11).
France
France will enter this tournament full of confidence for a couple of reasons. Not only did they go undefeated in Russia en route to becoming champions, but they were also in spectacular form in their qualification games for Qatar. They went undefeated in eight fixtures in the final round of qualifying, scoring 18 goals and conceding only three in the process.
Injuries are one of the main reasons why Les Bleus aren’t right at the very top of everyone’s Cup favourites in Qatar. Recent Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema was recently ruled out of the tournament due to a left thigh injury he suffered at training. He joins Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Presnel Kimpembe, and Christopher Nkunku as key players forced to the sidelines to due injury.
Possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Pavard, Upamecano, Konate, Lucas Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe; Giroud
Australia
Australia almost have nothing to lose in Qatar when you consider the low expectations from the public and the media, coupled with their slightly fortuitous qualification. Andrew Redmayne became a household name in Australia overnight on the back of his penalty shootout heroics against Peru a couple of months ago. His final save earned the Socceroos entry to the World Cup Finals for the fifth straight time and the sixth overall.
There weren’t too many surprises in 26-man squad the Socceroos coaching staff selected, and many of the players included picked themselves. The constant concern for the Socceroos in recent years has been the lack of firepower up forward, and where goals will come from for this side remains to be seen. Making matters worse, one of the Socceroos’ key creative front third players in Martin Boyle has recently been ruled out of the tournament due to injury.
Possible starting lineup:
Ryan; Atkinson, Wright, Rowles, Behich; Hrustic, Mooy, Irvine; Leckie, Duke, Goodwin
Prediction
These two nations were in the same group four years ago in Russia where Les Bleus obviously went on to win the whole tournament. They defeated the Socceroos 2-1 in their group game but that score line flattered the losers as they mustered only one shot on target for the full 90 minutes.
Australia have a much weaker squad compared to the one they took to Russia, so it’s fair to say it’ll be backs to the wall stuff against France on Wednesday morning. With that said, the defending champions will likely win by multiple goals on this occasion.
Can Ronaldo, Messi or Neymar Jr score more than the Socceroos?
There's some fun World Cup markets for the Socceroos over at Picklebet. It might be tough for the Aussies to win a match in their pool, but maybe they can score a few goals throughout the tournament. But can they score more than Ronaldo, Messi or Neymar Jr? Which side of this bet are you taking?
