- France have won four of their last five in all competitions and can exploit space on the wings.
- Iraq have lost two on the spin after a 4-1 defeat to Norway and are yet to gain a point in FIFA World Cup Group I.
- France have scored three goals in their one and only game so far and can do it again against the Lions of Mesopotamia.
Les Bleus looking for second Group I win
France will look to secure their second win in Group I against the Iraqis on Monday when Didier Deschamps' side take on the Lions of Mesopotamia at the Philadelphia Stadium, USA. France are heavy favourites to secure the win at 1.1, but we're going for a much more interesting bet on BTTS - Yes at 2.8, while the 'Over 2.5 goals' option looks a bit rich at 1.32.
France sit second in the group with three points from their opening game after cruising to a 3-1 victory over Senegal last time out, while Iraq have yet to get off the mark after a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Norway in their opener. The two sides are in contrasting moods heading into this fixture as the star-studded France are on a two-game winning streak and have scored three times in each game, while the Iraqis come into this after two straight defeats.
Deschamps' French team are a good mix of pragmatic positional football and star power, but they've also shown plenty of fluidity in their system as they've easily switched between a 4-2-3-1 formation and a 4-3-3 structure in their opening match. They have more than enough creativity and penetration to break down Iraq's low block if needed, but they also have the structure to pick their way through the middle in a more controlled manner.
Iraq's coach Graham Arnold has had his team sit deep in a compact 4-4-2 structure and launch quick counter-attacks, but the Australian boss will need to do better than that if his men are to trouble the French.
Iraq's best chance will come on the break
The French side will control the tempo and will be the dominant force, but they will have to make plenty of good moves to unlock the door in front of them. Iraq will sit deep and wait for their chance to counter, but a sloppy turnover in midfield could allow them to hurt France with their directness.
A lively contest is expected at the Philadelphia Stadium and there should be plenty of goals in this encounter. France have the superior squad and have been fantastic in transition play in their only game so far, so they can come through this one as winners.
As we've alluded to earlier, Kylian Mbappé is on a purple patch with two goals in one game, but we're also going for Adrien Rabiot to follow up on his assist in the opener and give France the edge in the centre of the park. Ayman Hussein has two goals in Iraq's last five games and is their main goal threat, while we're tipping Amir Al-Ammari to follow up on his impressive World Cup opener. He offered key playmaking ability and recorded one assist in that game.
