The World Cup is the gift that keeps on giving, and we have a mouth-watering quarter-final tie to look forward to which sees England collide with France. Arguably, this match has come around prematurely, and perhaps it would be have been worthy of being a World Cup Final instead. Nevertheless, this is a matchup that has the ingredients to be a classic, and it boasts plenty of intriguing battles, including Kylian Mbappe v Kyle Walker, and Harry Kane v Raphael Varane.
To put this tie into some context, we have outlined a few key stats for you to mull over:
- This will be the first time that England and France have met in the knockout stages of the World Cup.
- Against Poland, Mbappe became the first French player to score four or more goals in consecutive World Cups — he is currently leading the Golden Boot race with five goals to his name.
- England have won 17 of their 31 clashes with France.
- The Three Lions haven’t conceded since their first group match against Iran (6-2).
Naturally, Mbappe will grab most of the headlines, and England will have to be fully switched on if they are going to dethrone the reigning World Cup champions. Of course, US betting sites won’t hesitate to throw their hat into the ring and load the markets with juicy lines for bettors to tap into.
And to put you in the mood, we have scoured the markets and suggested three tips you ought to add to your betting slips.
France to need extra time to get job done
So far, Gareth Southgate has silenced his detractors and got all the big decisions spot on, and we’re referring to starting XIs and substitutions. Similarly, Didier Deschamps has barely put a foot wrong, and although he decided to ring in the changes against Tunisia, qualification for the Round of 16 had already been sewn up, and the result mattered little in the end. Although England boasts an excellent squad and they have plenty of strength in depth, many of them are making their World Cup Finals debut, and France’s experience of being champions gives them that slight edge.
This could well be a thoroughly entertaining game, but one that France may need extra time to get the job done. If you are leaning towards the Moneyline, then FanDuel is pricing France at a short looking -122 to reach the semi-finals.
Kylian Mbappe to shatter England hearts
Mbappe is one of the most feared strikers in Europe, and on current form, he looks like a world beater. He’s already scored more career World Cup goals (eight) than Pele did before the age of 24. His pace is terrifying, especially when he puts on the burners and he can befuddle any defender. Walker might be tasked with trying to stifle Mbappe, and he could keep up with him in a foot race.
Poland found Mbappe too tricky to contain, and you wonder how England are going to keep him quiet. Southgate’s charges will try to cut off the supply, but Mbappe will find a way to break the lines. Mbappe’s class, you imagine, will shine through and he could weigh in with a contribution. The goalscorer markets always provide good value, and he’s trading at +195 with FanDuel to score anytime for Les Bleus, which seems too good to ignore.
France to rain in the shots
There’s arguably more to France than just Mbappe, even though he’s the focal point of the attack. Antoine Griezmann has evolved into a creator, and he’s been very productive, and against Poland, he engineered four chances for his team-mates. Ousmane Dembele, meanwhile, will look to cut in from the right flank, while Olivier Giroud is excellent in the air and holding up the ball.
Therefore, Jordan Pickford, who has proved to be an excellent shot-stopper, may well see his goal peppered with efforts from the French. Against Poland, France racked up 16 shots on goal, of which eight were on target, and the way they are set up, means they are likely to create plenty of chances. As such, we usually like the look of the total section, and if you fancy France to have Over 4.5 shots on target against England, Unibet has obliged with tempting odds of +120 for you to follow up on.
