Australia vs. France
November 22, 2022 2:00 pm EDT
The Line: France -350 / Australia +1000 // Total: 2.5
(Get latest betting odds)
France and Australia face off on Tuesday in their first World Cup game in a Group D soccer showdown at Al Janoub Stadium.
France is the defending World Cup Champions and will try to start their title defense with a win in this game. France is dealing with a ton of injuries though heading into this game, and they are going to need young players to step up. The last year has been filled with ups and downs, but the hope is that they are ready when it matters most. On September 25th, France faced off against Denmark, and they didn’t look great, losing 2-0. Karim Benzema is the star of this team, but he has been forced to withdraw after picking up a thigh injury. Presnel Kimpembe and Christopher Nkunku have also had to be pulled from the team after suffering an injury. With all these injuries, there is a lot more pressure on players like Kylian Mbappé, who are going to have to pick up the slack.
On the other side of this matchup is Australia, who also have a ton of questions heading into the tournament, but they have been playing some excellent soccer heading into this one. Australia has faced off against New Zealand in two straight games, and they were able to win both games. On September 24 they were able to secure a 2-0 victory. Mitchell Duke scored in the 54th minute and Jason Cummings scored in the 84th minute. Martin Boyle is dealing with a knee injury and hasn’t been able to train heading into this game. There is still a chance that he could play in the World Cup, but it’s hard to imagine that he’s going to be able to go in this game. Harry Souttar is coming off an ACL surgery, but he is going to be good to go for this first game.
Australia is going to struggle to score goals all tournament, and that is going to start in this game. France are dealing with injuries issues, but this is a team with so much depth, and they should still find a way to score a couple of goals. France is going to score at least two goals here, and they will get the job done. Back France -1.5 to cash.
