France vs Argentina Betting Preview
June 29, 2018
Kick-off: Saturday, 30th June @19:00 GMT
Venue: Kazan Arena, Kazan
Head to head record
France vs Argentina 0-1 (1930 World Cup)
Argentina vs France 2-1 (1978 World Cup)
France vs Argentina 2-0 (1986 friendly)
France vs Argentina 0-1 (2007 friendly)
France vs Argentina 0-2 (2009 friendly)
In total, the two nations met 11 times. Argentina won six matches and France won two. They haven’t played against each other since 2009.
France vs Argentina predictions
These two teams have surely been in the top ten contenders to win the World Cup this year. However, neither team has convinced us that they could.
France have finished top of the group with seven points but they have only scored three goals and only one from open play; the other two being a penalty and an own goal. This can certainly be a worrying sign. The French need to step their game up.
Argentina, on the other hand, managed to scrape through to the knockout stage after an entertaining game against Nigeria. Had there not been for Rojo’s great volley, things could have ended differently. Still, Argentina must carry a lot of momentum into the game against France.
Switching it up a gear
A few players like Pogba, Griezmann or Giroud are yet to show up in Russia. This might be the game where they do. If France is to go to the quarter-finals, they will have to.
One thing is sure. They need to take their chances. They need to score some goals. They will have the opportunity to do so against a, so far, weak Argentinian defense and midfield. And they can be confident in their defensive capabilities as they have only allowed five shots on target against them in the three opening games.
It’s time for the French to switch it up a gear and show us that they are Championship contenders.
Riding the wave
Argentina haven’t play well. Messi and Aguero haven’t really shown us their full arsenal. They’ve had problems in the back. Yet, they still managed to battle their way past the group stage.
They must be on a high right now. The pressure was massive and they rose above it. Now they stand against an extremely talented team who haven’t really shown their talent yet. So they will feel that they have a chance to come out early in the game and play attacking football like they can.
You shouldn’t doubt that Argentina will try to ride the wave of their victory against Nigeria and securing a place in the 1/8 finals.
A few interesting facts
- The last time France lost a game against a South American side was against Argentina, in 1978.
- Lionel Messi has never scored in the knockout stages of the World Cup, a total of 666 minutes.
- The French coach, Didier Deschamps has won the World Cup for France in 1998, their only World Cup so far.
- Antoine Griezmann was top scorer and player of the tournament in the 2016 Euros with four goals and fours assists.
- A French player, Lucien Laurent, scored the first ever World Cup goal in 1930.
France vs Argentina betting pick
France are definitely favorites to win this match and progress, but you can’t write Argentina off, as we’ve seen in their last game.
The French play attacking football and they will be coming out of the gates strong. Argentina will have to absorb the early pressure and look to counter. If the half-time finishes all square, the Argentinians will be in with a chance.
Since both teams are expected to score at some point, it is possible that the match will go into extra time or be decided by penalties. If it comes to that, it is anyone’s game.
Pick: France to win
Odds: 7/5
