France have looked excellent so far and are one of the real contenders to go all the way, while they already have two or three candidates for Player of the Tournament.
But Sweden are always a tough, physical side, and France won’t want to avoid the fate suffered by the Netherlands and Germany, who both went out as favourites on Monday night.
Back Both Teams to Score
It’s hard to ignore that stat about Sweden having nine BTTS matches in a row. It’s proof that they always have a goal in them while having plenty of frailties at the back, which was most apparent in that 5-1 loss to the Netherlands, who went out on penalties to Morocco on Tuesday morning.
France, despite all their attacking talent, conceded in two of their matches and also in six of their last seven, so they’re not the strongest at the back themselves.
Add to that the fact that three of the last four between these two sides also had BTTS, and it’s an easy choice to make.
- Prediction: BTTS Yes
- Odds: 1.85 (at the time of writing)
- Key Stat: Sweden’s 1-1 draw with Japan was the ninth consecutive Sweden match in which both teams scored (BTTS), a run that started back in November with a 4-1 loss against Switzerland. Both teams to score would have been a winner in three of the last four games between these two, the most recent of which was a 4-2 win for France in 2020.
France
France have been arguably the most impressive side so far this tournament, winning all three of their matches convincingly and racking up 10 goals in the process.
Their front four looks in a different class to the rest of the sides, all of them blessed with pace and scoring ability and, of course, headlined by the inimitable Kylian Mbappe, who, like Ousmane Dembele, already has four goals to his name.
But just as important to the cause is Michael Olise, the Bayern Munich man pulling the strings and creating plenty of chances for his team-mates.
With plenty more options on the bench if needed, this is going to be a seriously hard team to beat.
- Player to watch: Michael Olise - 2.4 to score / 1.57 to score or assist
Sweden
Sweden followed up a 5-1 win against Tunisia with a 5-1 defeat of their own to the Netherlands, before a 1-1 draw in their final group game was enough to progress with four points.
They have Anthony Elanga to thank for that after he scored his second goal in two games with a well-taken strike against the Japanese, having already scored against the Dutch.
This is a typical Swedish side, very physical and hard-working but they seem to lack of a bit of quality going forward. Viktor Gyokeres doesn’t look quite at his best while Alexander Isak didn’t play much this season as a result of injury and looks a bit off the pace.
They’ll need at least one goal from one of those two because you’d expect France to score, but even one Swedish goal might not be enough.
- Player to watch: Viktor Gyokeres - 4.5 to have 2 or more shots on target/ 3.2 to score or assist
Did You Know?
Viktor Gyokeres cost Arsenal 64 million pounds when they bought him last summer from Sporting Lisbon, while Alexander Isak cost Liverpool 125 million when they bought him from Newcastle, making this one of the most expensive forward partnerships at the World Cup.
