France vs Iraq Match Preview
Like fellow contenders Argentina, the French will be looking to confirm their place in the knockout stages when they face Iraq on Monday. After a somewhat uncomfortable opening victory against Senegal, Les Bleus will be hoping for a more routine outcome in this Group I match-up. Iraq on the other hand opened their World Cup campaign with a heavy defeat to Erling Haaland and his Norway side, who disposed of the Iraqis 4-1.
To the surprise of nobody, the French came into the tournament as one of the outstanding favourites to regain their crown and reach a third consecutive World Cup final. At the forefront of that favouritism is striker Kylian Mbappe. His electric performances at World Cup level are difficult to comprehend and have seen the Real Madrid striker become both, France’s all-time leading goalscorer and the leading World Cup goalscorer for the French. An impressive feat when you consider the quality of players the French have had in the past. The opening match against Senegal, they didn’t quite have it all their own way, an Ibrahim Mbaye goal had the Senegalese right back in the game before Mbappe finished it off for the French. Conceding goals has been somewhat of a recent occurrence for Deschamps’ men as of late, with goals against coming in their last six match-ups, however, Les Bleus have the knack in front of goal so to speak, scoring multiple times in 13 of their last 14 fixtures.
Star forward Kylian Mbappe will look to add to his World Cup totals.
That goal scoring ability will have the Iraqis worried, especially after already shipping four in their opening match-up with Norway. Now, the margin of defeat may seem harsh, Iraq were level at one point in the game before a late collapse led to the end result. A result which, if you believe in the ability of the French, all but guarantees that the Iraqis will not be advancing from this group, but they will still want to do themselves proud in their final two group performances. Its been 40 years since Iraq appeared at a World Cup tournament and they remain without a single point recorded in the tournament history.
Team News
After an opening match victory, it would be a surprise to most if the French rung wholesale changes throughout the line-up. Defensively, they should remain with the majority of a backline, a potential change at left-back does seem like it could be on the cards however. Paris Saint-Germain winger Desire Doue may have felt hard done by to miss out on the opening day, especially after another promising season, but he has the potential to come into the line-up in place for his Paris Saint-Germain team- mate Bradley Barcola.
PSG winger Doue may be set to replace Barcola
On the opposite side of the pitch, their have been calls for change in the Iraqi goal, unsurprising after a poor performance against the Norweigans, but despite that potential change, it is imagined that the line-up will look particularly similar.
Predicted Line-Ups
France: M. Maignan, J. Kounde, W. Saliba, D. Upamecano, L. Digne, A. Tchouameni, A. Rabiot, O. Dembele, M. Olise, D. Doue, K. Mbappe
Iraq: A. Basil, H. Ali, Z. Tahseen, A. Hashim, M. Doski, Z. Iqbal, M. Farji, A. Ammari, A. Jasim, A. Hamadi, A. Hussein.
Prediction
It is difficult to imagine Iraq having any real joy against the French. Despite Les Bleus’ seeming inability to keep a clean sheet at the moment, this should be a game for that defence to regain its confidence and give the side a platform on which to further build into yet another World Cup knockout stage.
France 3-0 Iraq