We provide a preview of the 2022 World Cup clash between France and Australia as well as our pre pick for each team's Group D initial matchup.
Preview of France vs. Australia Match
Since France won the World Cup four years ago and was so outstanding, many people have picked them to win in Qatar 2022.
They appear to have the kind of team that would make most FIFA 23 players squad. At least, they did before the number of injuries increased.
Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante, the midfield duo who were so important to their success in 2018, are already out, and since head coach Didier Deschamps unveiled his team, two more well-known players have been forced to withdraw.
The loss of Christopher Nkunku was a blow despite the RB Leipzig forward being unlikely to start, his 48 goal involvements (37 goals and 11 assists) in 2022 is only second to France team-mate Kylian Mbappe (57 – 43 goals and 14 assists) among players from Europe’s top five leagues.
Karim Benzema’s is also out of world cup squad after injury, a significant player considering the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner, who scored a spectacular 44 goals in 46 games for Real Madrid in 2021-22, helping the Spanish giants win La Liga and the Champions League.
However, France is undoubtedly the only country that can survive such a twin blow.
Deschamps will probably play Mbappe with either Olivier Giroud or Antoine Griezmann in their opening match against Australia, using the same starting three he used at Russia 2018.
Given that Thierry Henry (51) holds the record for most goals scored by Les Bleus, Giroud has added a boost.
"Obviously I've got this ambition, this sort of bonus in my brain to beat [Henry], but the main target as a team is to go as far as we can in the competition," the Milan striker said during a news conference on Friday.
However, France will need to improve on recent results given that they have only won one of their last six UEFA Nations League games played between June and September (D2, L3).
Their first obstacle is a squad from Australia that barely made it to Qatar and had to defeat Peru in a play-off after a controversial penalty shootout in order to advance.
In four of their previous five visits, they were sent out of the group stage; the only time they advanced was in 2006, when Arnold was Guus Hiddink's assistant.
Only Bulgaria (12%; three of 26) has a lower victory percentage among countries that played ten or more games in the finals than Australia, which has won just 13% of its games at the World Cup (two of 16).
They have also had a setback due to Martin Boyle withdrawing after failing to heal from a knee issue. He was replaced by Melbourne City winger Marco Tilio, and Arnold believes the 21-year-old will perform better.
Marco has complied with all requirements to be prepared for this competition, according to Arnold. He was a key element of our Tokyo 2020 Olympic team, he has had a strong start to the A-League men's season, and he is familiar with the structure of the national team. We are excited to see what he can add to our team for the competition.
Australia and France have previously faced off in the World Cup group stage, with France coming out on top 2-1 thanks to Antoine Griezmann's penalty and an own goal from Aziz Behich. The Socceroos have only triumphed in one of their five encounters with Les Bleus, which took place at the 2001 Confederations Cup.
France possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Pavard, Upamecano, Konate, Lucas Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe; Giroud
Australia possible starting lineup:
Ryan; Atkinson, Wright, Rowles, Behich; Hrustic, Mooy, Irvine; Leckie, Duke, Goodwin
France vs. Australia: Players to Watch
France: Kylian Mbappe
It's never a nice thing to lose stars like Nkunku and Benzema, but the pain is lessened when you can still rely on the world's most dynamic forward.
Mbappe scored four goals in seven games for France during the 2018 World Cup in Russia, which was crucial to their win. The teenaged French prodigy made history during the competition by being not only his nation's youngest-ever World Cup goal scorer (19y 183d), but also just the second teenager to score in a World Cup final after Brazilian legend Pele did it against Sweden in 1958.
With 19 goals in 20 appearances for the Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain, he has likewise been virtually unstoppable this season.
Australia: Mat Ryan
In addition to the fact that Australia will probably take a lot of shots from the world champs, Ryan also adds experience that this team desperately needs.
Although Kamil Grabara has been favoured in goal for Copenhagen this season, the former Valencia and Arsenal goalkeeper has played in all 11 of Australia's third- and fourth-round games in AFC World Cup qualification.
Ryan will represent Australia in a third World Cup, more than any other goalie for the country. If he plays in each of the three group games, he would tie Tim Cahill and Mark Bresciano for the most World Cup appearances for the Socceroos with nine.
Prediction of France vs. Australia:
Unsurprisingly, France is the clear favorite to open with a victory.
Our supercomputer predicts that France will win all three points with a 73.4% probability while Australia will only have a 10.6% chance.
Given France's injuries and shaky form going into Qatar, the draw has a 16.0% chance of happening.