Yesterday we went through Tunisia's chances at the World Cup. Today we conclude Group D with the current world champions, France. 32 teams in 32 days! This is the Ultimate FIFA World Cup review guide. Check what we've done so far below.
Group A - Qatar | Ecuador | Senegal | Netherlands
Group B - United States | England | Iran | Wales
Group C - Mexico | Poland | Argentina | Saudi Arabia
Group D - Australia | Denmark | Tunisia
Group F - Canada | Croatia | Morocco | Belgium
Group H - Ghana | Portugal | Uruguay | South Korea
Country: France
Nickname: Les Bleus
Last World Cup Appearance: 2018 (WINNERS!!)
Previous World Cup Appearances: 1978, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018
World Rank: #4
Star Players: Kylian Mbappe, N'Golo Kante, Antoine Griezmann
France has it all to play for as defending World Cup champions. They'll be aiming to be just the third side in history to successfully defend their title and for the first time since Brazil in 1962.
That Brazilian team had Pele. This French team has Mbappe who'll look to avoid France's dismal effort in 2002 when defending their 1998 triumph on home soil. They lost to Senegal, Denmark and drew with Uruguay.
Off the back of an underwhelming Euro 2020, they'll be looking to prove why they're the best in the world. It was a stunning exit for those that remember. The reigning world champs were up 3-1 until the Swiss came back and equalised in the 90th minute. They then went on to lose in the shootout after Mbappe missed his penalty in the shootout.
This French squad has so much depth and talent, they honestly do not need an introduction. Long serving French coach Didier Deschamps has given the team some stability from a managerial perspective. Can he get the balance right and win the World Cup again?
World Cup Group: Group D - France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia
Prediction: The 23-man squad has been expanded to 26 men and thank goodness for the French. Their squad is so talented, it'll help to give Deschamps some more options to play with. There's no doubt that France has the best squad in the world.
There's so many options that France has. France played with a 3-4-1-2 but the loss against the Swiss was the catalyst for a bit of change and they've reverted to the traditional back four in recent times.
Likely they'll play a 4-4-2, if recent formations are anything to go by. Obviously Mbappe is someone to start off with, but Christopher Nkunku is one we should all watchout for flying down the right flank. Karim Benzema next to Mbappe in a front two setup is going to be almost impossible for any defence to stop.
Don't forget, they've also got Griezmann, Kinglsey Coman and Moussa Diaby who are dangerous attacking weapons.
Hugo Lloris will likely start at goalkeeper. Presnel Kimpembe, Ibrahima Konate, Jules Kunde, Raphael Varane and Lucas Hernandez are strong central defensive options. Down the defensive wings you've got Theo Hernandez and Lucas Digne who can cause issues.
In midfield Pogba is questionable for the World Cup which could be a huge issue. N'Golo Kante can be partnered up with players like young superstars Aurélien Tchouameni, Boubacar Kamara and Mattéo Guendouzi which lessons the impact.
The biggest issue I see for France however is that everybody knows what to expect now. They'll be the team to beat, and everybody will be out to get them. Whether Pogba plays will also make a huge difference. It could be the fine line that makes a difference in a World Cup that will be close.
This time round I think they'll make the finals. I think they'll come up against a bigger challenger than Croatia from the 2018 World Cup Final and a penalty shootout will be the difference maker in a tight tournament. France will be on the losing end of it though.
Finalists.
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Wolfgang Sport started in 2017 as a way to connect my passion for American and British sports. Today it's evolved into a blockchain sports blog pushing the boundaries into the crypto world and embracing Web3 technologies.