France will play their final game of the first phase against Tunisia on Wednesday, looking to finish their group campaign on a high.
The defending champions have been one of the best teams in the tournament so far, and they have already secured their place in the knockout rounds of the competition with wins over Australia and Denmark.
Didier Deschamps will be expecting a thoroughly professional showing from his players despite the fact that they are already through to the next round. France will be heading into the game as the favourites, and it will be interesting to see if they can win all of their group games in the FIFA World Cup 2022.
𝙌𝙐𝘼𝙇𝙄𝙁𝙄𝙀𝘿 🔥
Heading for the last 1️⃣6️⃣ of the World Cup 🇫🇷 #FiersdetreBleus #FRADEN pic.twitter.com/hbLOLQyTaR— French Team ⭐⭐ (@FrenchTeam) November 26, 2022
Meanwhile, Tunisia are at the bottom of Group D, and they will need to win here in order to keep their chances of making it to the knockout rounds alive. That said, a win does not guarantee them a place in the Round of 16. They will need the other results to go their way as well. The Eagles of Carthage are level on points with Denmark and Australia have three points to their name.
If Denmark manage to win their game against Australia or draw against them, Tunisia will have the opportunity to progress, provided they maintain a better goal difference.
Team News & Tactics
Tunisia
Aymen Dahmen will start in goal for Tunisia. In the back three, Dylan Bronn is expected to partner Yassine Meriah and Montassar Talbi. Mohamed Drager and Ali Abdi are likely to be deployed as the wing-backs. They will look to keep the likes of Kingsley Coman and Kylian Mbappe quiet as well as provide some attacking support.
Aissa Laidouni will partner Ellyes Skhiri in the middle of the park, and they will look to break up the play and win the ball back for Tunisia. Youssef Msakni and Naim Sliti will start as the attacking midfielders. They will look to link up with the forward and drop deep to outnumber the France midfield as well. Finally, Wahab Khazri will lead the line.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Dahmen; Bronn, Meriah, Talbi; Drager, Skhiri, Laidouni, Abdi; Msakni, Sliti; Khazri
France
Didier Deschamps could look to make a few changes to his side ahead of the knockouts. Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris is expected to continue in goal. He has not been at his best this season and Deschamps will be hoping he can get back into his groove as the tournament heads into its business end.
Benjamin Pavard will start as the right-back. France are short of options in the left-back department, and Eduardo Camavinga could line up as a makeshift full-back so that Theo Hernandez can get some rest. Raphael Varane is likely to partner Ibrahima Konate at the heart of the defence.
Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot have formed a solid midfield pivot in the tournament and they will continue in their respective roles. Kingsley Coman could get a chance to showcase his quality here with Dembele rested. Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe will also line up behind the striker. Olivier Giroud could use some rest here and Marcus Thuram might be leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Pavard, Konate, Varane, Camavinga; Rabiot, Tchouameni; Coman, Griezmann, Mbappe; Thuram
Key Stats
- France have won their last six matches at the FIFA World Cup.
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Tunisia have failed to win 15 of their last 16 matches in the FIFA World Cup.
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France have scored at least two goals in five of their last six matches at the FIFA World Cup.
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Tunisia are yet to reach the knockout stages of the World Cup after falling short in the group stages in their five World Cup appearances.
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France are currently fourth in the latest FIFA World Rankings, 26 places above Tunisia, who are Africa’s third-highest-ranked nation.
Player to Watch
Kylian Mbappe
The Frenchman has been sensational for France at the FIFA World Cup 2022 so far. He is undoubtedly the best player in the tournament based on his performances so far and will look to make his mark against Tunisia as well. Mbappe has scored three goals, and he has an assist to his name as well. He should punish Tunisia’s mediocre defence here.
7️⃣ 𝗚𝗢𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗜𝗡 2️⃣ 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗨𝗣𝗦 🤯@KMbappe is already up to second in the all-time list of French goalscorers in this competition 💪#FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/QvaG8GOujk
— French Team ⭐⭐ (@FrenchTeam) November 29, 2022
Prediction
Tunisia 0-2 France
The Eagles of Carthage will look to progress into the next round of the tournament, and they will look to put on a strong showing against the World Champions. However, they are well out of their depth here, and France will have an edge.
Les Bleus have a far superior squad, and they have the momentum with them. On top of that, France will be playing without any pressure especially after securing their place in the next round. The Hard Tackle predicts a comfortable 2-0 win for France here.
