Group D Predictions > Nov 22nd - 30th

[StevieDay1983]

It's crazy to think that three of these teams were in the same group back in the 2018 World Cup. They go again and it's hard to look past France cruising this one even though Paul Pogba has been ruled out of the tournament. Is it a three way for 2nd place between Denmark, Tunisia, and Australia or are we looking like the two qualifiers in France and Denmark is done and dusted before a ball has been kicked?

[StevieDay1983]

Denmark

It might feel like Denmark are a team that aren't in with a shout of winning but let's not forget that they prevailed against the odds to win the 1992 European Championship and also reached the 2020 European Championship Semi-Finals without arguably their best player in Christian Eriksen. It seems only yesterday that Eriksen was going through that awful cardiac arrest in that tournament's group stage game against Finland. Fast forward to 2022, and Eriksen is miraculously back leading the way for the Danes and playing regular club football for Manchester United. Head coach Kasper Hjulmand is still in charge and getting fantastic results with the Red and Whites. The team cruised through their World Cup qualification group with 9 wins from their 10 games and only narrowly missed out on reaching the UEFA Nations League Finals by 1 point. Their swift counter-attacking play makes them dangerous opponents for even the top teams so even though we're unlikely to see them go all the way you can guarantee that nobody will want to face them. Given the injury problems France have in midfield, I wouldn't be surprised if we see Denmark top this group.

Odds to Win World Cup: 28/1

Odds to Qualify from Group: 1/3

My Prediction: Quarter-Finals

 

Tunisia

This will be the sixth World Cup tournament that Tunisia have qualified for but every previous time they have exited at the group stage. Will this time be any different? Unfortunately, I can't see it happening. Head coach Jalel Kadri has seen his team lose just 1 of their last 9 matches including the two-legged qualification victory over Mali that saw a 1-0 win on aggregate in a tightly-contested encounter. It was a much-needed achievement for Kadri who had witnessed his team suffer a disappointing Quarter-Final exit at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year. It's 8 clean sheets in their last 9 games which shows the stability of their defence but the fact they conceded 5 goals in a loss to Brazil back in September shows how far off the elite teams they are. The national team includes a few more players that are plying their trade in the European leagues such as Lorient's Montassar Talbi, Birmingham's on-loan Manchester United midfielder Hannibal, and Montpellier's Wahbi Khazri but this is still a squad that is one of the weakest at the tournament. Avoiding finishing bottom is probably the best they can expect but I'm not sure they can even manage that.

Odds to Win World Cup: 500/1

Odds to Qualify from Group: 7/2

My Prediction: Group Stage

 

France

There is no secret that France are being tipped as potential winners by a lot of people for this year's World Cup. The reigning world champions stormed to success back in 2018 but faltered at the 2020 European Championship losing to Switzerland on penalties in the last 16. Didier Deschamps has been dealt with the triple blow of having to manage his squad without key players N'Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, and Presnel Kimpembe. Lucas Digne and Christopher Nkunku being absent through injury is also disappointing for Les Bleus but you only need to see the players drafted in to replace those players and you realise the level of depth available to the squad. Hugo Lloris is still one of the best keepers in the world, the defence will still boast the likes of Raphael Varane, Jules Kounde, and Dayot Upamecano. The attacking options are unreal with Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, and Antoine Griezmann. I do have some concerns about the midfield though. The Real Madrid duo of Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga may be needed to step up. If Deschamps favours Adrien Rabiot then they may struggle against the better central midfields in this tournament. The French are prone to stumbling early in the World Cup. It seems they either go all the way or flatter to deceive. I fear it could be the latter here. I'm not convinced they'll win this group and that could put them in a tricky last 16 tie against Argentina.

Odds to Win World Cup: 7/1

Odds to Qualify from Group: 1/10

My Prediction: Last 16

 

Australia

You've got to love Australia at the World Cup haven't you. Here is a nation that has football as its 6th or 7th most popular sport in the country yet they qualify and aim to turn up for a good time. It's been funny listening to Australian pundits in the run-up to this competition. They fully appreciate their squad isn't great and they understand that group stage elimination is more than likely but they don't care. Head coach Graham Arnold might not be well known outside of Australia but this is a man who is one of only three people to have won more than one A-League title earning success with both the Central Coast Mariners and Sydney FC. The team finished 3rd behind Saudi Arabia and Japan in their qualification group in the Asia section so needed to beat 3rd place from the other group in the form of UAE in a play-off. The Socceroos managed that with a 2-1 win to reach the inter-continental play-offs against Peru. Once again, Australia prevailed victorious with a 5-4 win on penalties after a 0-0 draw. It's 5 games unbeaten for Australia now entering this tournament but two of those wins were friendly victories over New Zealand so maybe we shouldn't read into that too much. UK football fans will recognise a few familiar faces including Sunderland's Bailey Wright, Stoke's Harry Souttar, and Celtic's Aaron Mooy. Sadly, the halcyon days of Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell, and Tim Cahill are long gone. It's all about that game with Tunisia to see who can finish 3rd.

Odds to Win World Cup: 350/1

Odds to Qualify from Group: 3/1

My Prediction: Group Stage

[StevieDay1983]

It's been confirmed that Karim Benzema will miss the tournament due to a thigh injury. Another big injury blow for Les Bleus and further solidifies my belief that they might not have the best of tournaments... although maybe these injuries will galvanize them? Who knows!

[StefanBB]

France vs Australia

Looking at both teams' histories in the World Cup, we see a definite distinction between the two teams. France's best performance at the World Cup is a win, which includes the last tournament in Russia. However, Les Bleus haven't been confident lately, as they won only once on the previous six occasions. The French defense is solid, starting in goal with Hugo Lloris, who will surely be taking part in his final World Cup for France. Pavard, Varane, and Lucas Hernandez are the most experienced of the defenders, with the uncapped Axel Disasi earning a call-up. However, the defending champions will need to cope without this season's Ballon D'Or winner, Karim Benzema, who will miss this tournament.         

Australia's best is to get past the group stage just once in 2006. There is no more Tim Cahill or many big names for Australia to call on for what is expected to be a very challenging World Cup for the Aussies. A good part of the team is at home or playing in Scotland, and nobody plays their football in the Premier League either. Matthew Leckie will be tasked with scoring goals for Australia, having scored 13 goals in 73 games so far, although Maclaren, Mabil, and Duke are also regular scorers at the international level. Socceroos head to the World Cup full of confidence, as they booked five straight wins. Australia only has one injury concern, with doubts over attacker Martin Boyle's fitness after recovering from a knee injury. Melbourne City youngster Marco Tilio is on stand-by as his replacement.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction                                                                            

It will be quite an interesting match, and fans should expect good entertainment. France won’t have an easy job, but we still believe they can pull it through and win this match. We’ll dip into the Asian Handicap market to get better odds.

Goals Market Prediction

France managed to keep the clean sheet just twice in the last eight matches, while Australia can be dangerous in the front. Therefore, we believe the crowd will see at least three goals in this encounter. 

France AH -1.25 @ 1.65

Over 2.5 FT @ 1.75

Correct score 3:1 @ 13.00

[Heisenberg68]

be careful with France anyway..

the team is not the most beautiful one that we can align, but it will be very good on the ground with experienced players.

I think France will win easily 3-0 or 4-0 with a goal from Giroud.

[StevieDay1983]

Group D is, as @Heisenberg68 rightly points out, a potential banana skin. I've benefited on more than one occasion from France ballsing everything up in the group stages at a World Cup and given their injuries worries I would be very surprised if we saw them close to their best here. I still think this is a game they should be looking to win against Australia. The same goes for Denmark against Tunisia. I've backed the Danes to win this group and I can see a business-like start from them here. I wouldn't be surprised to see both France and Denmark open up with clean sheet wins.

Denmark vs Tunisia (Tuesday, 1pm GMT)

Denmark HT/FT @ 8/5 with Sporting Index

Denmark to Win to Nil @ 11/8 with BetVictor

France vs Australia (Tuesday, 4pm GMT)

France HT/FT @ 5/6 with Betfair

France to Win to Nil @ 9/10 with Unibet

[harry_rag]

Eriksen anytime 7/2 (system bet) and a couple of assists, Maehle 11/2 and Hojbjerg 13/2 Lads

[StevieDay1983]

Had a feeling the HT/FT bet was a big risk. Thought Denmark would going to sneak that first goal after that uncomfortable opening 20 minutes though. Hopefully, they can still get the clean sheet win.

[harry_rag]

Just bought Australia bookings at 20. Had it in mind pre-game, appeals now they're in front. (3 points higher elsewhere.)

[StevieDay1983]

It's an intriguing day of games at the World Cup on Saturday. We begin with the game between Tunisia and Australia where the brutal reality is that the loser will likely be going home early. I was quite impressed by Tunisia who were dogged and effective against Denmark in their opening group game. Australia were rolled over by a fairly average looking France team so I have to feel that Tunisia are worth the win here. Then there is France versus Denmark. Even though France dominated Australia and Denmark struggled against Tunisia I still think there's little separating these two and it could go either way. I did back Denmark to potentially win this group and I still wouldn't be surprised if that happened. They boast the superior midfield and that could be the difference here.

Tunisia vs Australia (Saturday, 10am GMT)

Tunisia to Win @ 6/5 with Sporting Index

Tunisia to Score First @ 17/20 with Sporting Index

France vs Denmark (Saturday, 4pm GMT)

Denmark Double Chance @ 21/20 with 10Bet

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 7/10 with VBet

[malabgd]

France vs Denmark

2022-11-26T17:00+01:00

 

France

Doubtful: Kingsley Coman (41/5 f, probably in)

Out (injuries/other): Lucas Hernandez (33/0 d, out of the World Cup)

Suspended:

Out of squad: Presnel Kimpembe (28/0 d), Ferland Mendy (9/0 d), Lucas Digne (46/0 d), Boubacar Kamara (3/0 m), N'Golo Kanté (53/2 m), Paul Pogba (91/11 m), Christopher Nkunku (8/0 f), Karim Benzema (97/37 f)

 

Denmark

Doubtful:

Out (injuries/other): Thomas Delaney (72/7 m, out of the World Cup)

Suspended:

Out of squad: Jannik Vestergaard (35/2 d), Nicolai Boilesen (22/1 d)

 

Daily updated injuries and suspensions information from more than 100 football leagues and competitions worldwide at: www.injuriesandsuspensions.com

[StefanBB]

France vs Denmark

No national team has won back-to-back world cups since Brazil did it 70 years ago, but France definitely has the squad to achieve this feat. Despite their lack of good performances this year, they have one of the strongest teams in the world. Their start against Australia wasn't too confident, but Les Bleus managed to turn around the result quickly. Eventually, a comfortable 4-1 victory boosted their confidence, and another success can help them lock the pole position in Group D. Nevertheless, Kylian Mbappe and the lads need to guard against complacency as they face a much stronger opponent than the Socceroos.                                                                                                               

Denmark qualified for the World Cup as one of the most dominant teams in the entire European side of qualifiers. De Rød-Hvide won their group with nine wins in 10 games and a 30:3 goal difference, which is incredible. They conceded goals in only two out of ten games. Although they managed to keep their net intact against Tunisia in their opening game in the tournament, the Danes failed to secure a win. Therefore, this game is very important for them as well since they are aiming for the knockout stage. Moreover, Denmark wasn't too convincing against Tunisia, and now, a much tougher task is ahead of them.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction                                                                            

It is going to be an entertaining game, and both sides will search for important points. Nevertheless, France looked much more composed in the previous match, and we believe the defending champions are closer to victory.

Goals Market Prediction

Their h2h matches haven't been too efficient throughout history. Moreover, five of France's last six games stayed under a 2.5 margin, the same as four of the previous encounters involving Denmark. It might be a tight match with two goals in total at most.

France to Win @ 1.85

Under 2.5 FT @ 1.75

Correct score 1:0 @ 6.10

[StefanBB]

Australia vs Denmark

Although there was plenty of action at both ends of the field, Mitchell Duke's goal in the 23rd minute was enough for him and his team to record a crucial three points, beating Tunisia narrowly 1-0. With this triumph, the Australian national team took the second position in Group D and thus revived their hopes for a place in the knockout phase. They now sit in 2^nd place, and if Tunisia doesn't beat France, the Socceroos need just a point to go through the group stage. What pleases coach Graham Arnold is the fact that his team is fully healthy after two rounds at the World Cup in Qatar, which means he will have all the key players at his disposal against the Danes. We will see if it will be enough to secure a positive result in this encounter.

Meanwhile, Denmark controlled the game for nearly an hour, but they just couldn't handle the pressure from the French, culminating in a 2-1 defeat. Denmark quickly got back into the match after France took the lead and responded with a goal by Andreas Christensen. However, Kylian Mbappe put an end to the game with a goal in the 86th minute. With this defeat, the Danes remained in the 3^rd position with only one point, which means that only a victory in the last round guarantees them the knockout stage. They need to be fully focused on this match and display a much better performance than the one against Tunisia.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction                                                                            

Although they are in a tricky situation, Denmark is a favorite in this match, and they have a better squad on paper. We believe the European team has enough quality to see off its opponents and secure a place in the Round of 16.

Goals Market Prediction

Both teams will be searching for goals in this encounter, and we should see an entertaining match. We shouldn't be surprised if both sides find the back of the opponent's net in this game.

Denmark to Win @ 1.52

BTTS Yes @ 2.10

Correct score 1:2 @ 8.50

[StevieDay1983]

The group action draws to a close in Group D on Wednesday and it's a thrilling end to proceedings with France having secured their place in the last 16 but the other three teams of Australia, Denmark, and Tunisia are in a battle for that second qualification spot. You'd have to say the odds are stacked against Tunisia who need a win against France to progress and even then it might only be enough if Australia and Denmark draw. I think France should see Tunisia off although I have felt Tunisia have exceeded expectations with their performances so far. So, realistically, we're looking at the second qualifier coming from that Australia versus Denmark game. I was very impressed with Australia's fighting spirit against Tunisia and that was enough to see them sneak a win but they'll need more quality to beat an organised, experienced, and capable Danish side. It would be a disaster and disappointment for Denmark if they don't go through.

Australia vs Denmark (Wednesday, 3pm GMT)

Denmark to Win to Nil @ 6/4 with Betfair

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 10/11 with Bet365

Tunisia vs France (Wednesday, 3pm GMT)

France to Win to Nil @ 27/20 with Unibet

Anytime Scorer: Olivier Giroud @ 7/4 with William Hill

[harry_rag]

8 minutes ago, StevieDay1983 said:

Anytime Scorer: Olivier Giroud @ 7/4 with William Hill

7 changes possible for France with Giroud fancied to be rested, Mbappe expected to retain his place.

[StevieDay1983]

3 minutes ago, harry_rag said:

7 changes possible for France with Giroud fancied to be rested, Mbappe expected to retain his place.

Interesting. I'd have thought they'd have done it the other way around. I suppose Giroud does need the rest more at his age.

[harry_rag]

7 minutes ago, StevieDay1983 said:

Interesting. I'd have thought they'd have done it the other way around. I suppose Giroud does need the rest more at his age.

Could be wrong info I guess tho I imagine Mbappe has the Golden Boot in his sights, might get an hour to add to his tally. Thuram interesting at 9/4 if he gets a start.

[DrO]

Kylian Mbappe to score over 0.5 goals @1,65 local bookie Mozzartbet
 

Edited November 30, 2022 by DrO

[harry_rag]

3 hours ago, harry_rag said:

Could be wrong info I guess tho I imagine Mbappe has the Golden Boot in his sights, might get an hour to add to his tally. Thuram interesting at 9/4 if he gets a start.

Got matched on Thuram at 5.6 but not starting! Not a terrible bet if he comes on early enough. Taken 6/4 about a sub scoring, just think France might finish strongly with plenty of subs on the pitch.

[StevieDay1983]

Well, let's just write those freak results off right now and look forward to Argentina and Mexico doing the business for us this evening!