- Recent form: France have won 9 of their last 10 matches across all competitions, with 1 defeat.
- Opposition profile: Paraguay are a disciplined, dangerous side, but not as strong as France, in the knockout phase of the FIFA World Cup.
- Player stat: Kylian Mbappe has scored 2 goals in 1 match in the FIFA World Cup knockout phase.
France are rightful favorites for their FIFA World Cup clash with Paraguay
France enter their matchup with Paraguay in Philadelphia as clear favorites at 1.22, while the odds of 6.9 for Paraguay or 6.9 for a draw look too high for an even contest on Saturday.
Les Bleus have been in a different class to every other team in the competition so far, as shown by their 9 wins and 1 defeat from their last 10 games.
Gustavo Alfaro has drilled his side into a compact and pragmatic low block, which has served them well so far and will surely cause some frustration for France.
- France were ruthless in their 4-1 away win against Norway in Group I before comfortably defeating Sweden by 3-0 in the knockout stage, leaving Didier Deschamps' side well primed for their next challenge.
- Paraguay beat Turkey 1-0 away in the FIFA World Cup Group D, before holding out for a 0-0 with Australia and scraping through against Germany on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the knockout round.
Goals are likely, but Paraguay could still hold up against France
France outlook
France are on a hot streak, winning their last 5 straight with 5 wins to nil and no draws. Deschamps' side have been tactically flexible, but at their core, they have controlled the game through possession before switching gears to ruthless in transition.
Paraguay approach
Paraguay are a different side, more sturdy than flashy across all competitions, posting 5 wins, 1 draw and 4 defeats from their last 10. Paraguay prefer to slow the game down and keep things tight, which may not be the smartest play against a team with as much quality as France possess, but it does give the knockouts a sneaky chance of being more cagey than expected.
Betting angle
Our best play on this one will be for France to win, but we think Paraguay can hold out for a while in what could still be a cagey matchup. The best value on the goalscorer front looks to be Julio Enciso, who has been a constant threat in transition.
