The French will feel like it’s Groundhog Day in their World Cup opener against Australia on Tuesday as they also started their 2018 run in the competition with a win over the Aussies.
Kylian Mbappe is expected to be one of the stars of the show in Qatar and bookmaker 10bet has the odds at 1.80 for him to make a scoring start. The odds are at 3.60 for him to score either first or last.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: November 21st, 7:00 A.M. (EST)
Looking back at their 2018 triumph, the French likely don’t want to remember their game against Australia because it was a rough outing in the midday sun and Les Bleus couldn’t get much going. They eventually won 2-1 thanks to an Antoine Griezmann penalty and an 80th-minute own goal.
The 2018 tournament was of course the coming-out party for Mbappe. He had just finished his first PSG season and showed off great confidence for an 18-year-old with his fearless and direct style of play leading to four goals and one assist in seven World Cup appearances.
With him having now cemented his place among the football world elite, it’s scary what Mbappe could do in Qatar. He has recorded 58 goals and 31 assists in 66 games in club football since the start of last season. It’s safe to say that the French won’t have trouble creating chances against Australia this time around.
The Socceroos have made it to the World Cup for a fifth consecutive time, but there are a lot of tournament debutantes in the squad and it’s definitely more of a learning curve for the team. The young players get a superb opportunity to test themselves against some of the best players in the world, although with a little bit of luck, Australia might even be able to sneak into the last 16.
Graham Arnold has been nearly unbeatable with the team since taking charge after the 2018 World Cup, recording 23 wins and only six losses in 33 games. He knows how to set up his side for success and will relish the opportunity to test himself against the world champions.
The former forward will want to see his team play a responsible defensive game Tuesday and be ready to take advantage of any cracks that might appear in France’s armor. Didier Deschamps has lost a number of key players to injury prior to the tournament, and the players coming in might need time to adjust to the system, which could leave the defending champions vulnerable.
