As France look to keep their crown, they begin the 2022 World Cup campaign against Australia. Liam Kelly previews the game, picking out two bets.
Football betting tips: France v Australia
1.5pts Second Half - Highest Scoring Half at evens (General)
1pt Half Time/Full Time - Draw/France at 3/1 (Sky Bet, Betway, SpreadEx)
Holders France open up their group action with what should be a straightforward affair with Australia, but their recent World Cup appearances have been masterclass or disasterclass.
As one of the pre-tournament favourites, the former is far more likely, especially given the strength in depth the French possess.
The level of this Australia team should make this opener a simpler task for Didier Deschamps and his side, too, limping into the finals after a fairly underwhelming qualification campaign.
Australia won just three of their last nine third-round Asian qualification games, before edging past Peru via penalties in a play-off.
Although most of their games were close-knit, this represents a massive step up for possibly the lowest quality squad Australia have brought to a World Cup in recent memory.
Sporting a very passive approach while still allowing plenty of chances is a dangerous mix for Australia, and a weakness France can take full advantage of, despite reigning World Cup champions being relatively slow starters in games.
They've not scored a first-half goal in a competitive match in over a year, which came in an 8-0 win over Kazakhstan. The underlying numbers portray a similar story, with France becoming far more dangerous after the break.
With that in mind, SECOND HALF - HIGHEST SCORING HALF is a bet at even-money.
Sticking to a similar theme, HALF TIME/FULL TIME - DRAW/FRANCE makes appeal at a nice price of 3/1.
If France do indeed start slowly, backing them to dispatch of a poor Australia side in the second half can be done with some confidence.
France v Australia best bets and score prediction
- 1.5pts Second Half - Highest Scoring Half at evens (General)
- 1pt Half Time/Full Time - Draw/France at 3/1 (Sky Bet, Betway, SpreadEx)
Score prediction: France 2-0 Australia (Sky Bet odds: 9/2)
Odds correct at 1430 GMT (18/11/22)
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