The World Cup has made for captivating viewing. We have reached the Round of 16 stage, and on Sunday afternoon, it will be the turn of France and Poland.
Both sides lost their last group games, and Poland eked through into the knockout stages on goal difference.
France, however, were stunned 1-0 by Tunisia, although Didier Deschamps rang the changes, and his understudies were distinctly unimpressive.
Poland are expected to have a full squad at their disposal, while Les Bleus will revert back to their strongest XI for this game.
But can Poland cause an upset? We are certainly looking forward to seeing how this one unfolds.
And ahead of kick-off, we have dived into the markets and picked out a couple of tips for you to explore.
France to coast through into quarter-finals
Although as mentioned, France were below par in their last group game against Tunisia, qualification for the Round of 16 had already been sewn up, and that result will be a mere footnote in history.
France will look to come flying out of the blocks, and Wojciech Szczesny, who has pulled off the most saves at the World Cup (19), could well be in for a busy afternoon.
At times, Poland have been passive, and while they may have ridden their luck against Mexico and Saudi Arabia, France will be less forgiving.
Let’s not forget that France have beaten Poland on eight of their 16 meetings, and Poland’s seven-match winless streak against the reigning world champions dates back to 1982.
Don’t expect France to keep a clean sheet, as they have only managed one shut-out in their past 13 matches outside of their borders.
With 12 wins from their past 15 knockout matches at the World Cup, this is where France starts to purr. I have a hunch that France will coast through to the quarter-finals by a winning margin of three goals. Bet365 has obliged here with an intriguing price of 9/2.
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France to win by 3 goals - 9/2
Charles fancies a comfortable day for the French here
Olivier Giroud at the double
Despite being riddled with injuries in the run-up to the World Cup, France’s front line isn’t short on firepower.
Kylian Mbappe naturally grabs the headlines, and he has been productive so far, notching up three goals, and he has registered 34 shots on target in his last 11 competitive outings for France.
However, Olivier Giroud, is sometimes the unsung hero. He is great at holding up the ball, and he is a serious aerial threat.
Giroud has been bang in form, scoring 15 times in his past 21 starts for France, and he is just one goal away from overtaking Thierry Henry as his country’s all-time top scorer.
So, with that in mind, Giroud could turn in a scintillating display, and one that will reward him with two goals. Giroud is available at 10/1 with Unibet to produce a two-goal salvo.
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Olivier Giroud to score two or more - 10/1
Giroud is fancied to fire here
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