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The roar of the crowd was deafening on night one of competition with Russia the firm favourite according to the punters. Their emphatic 5-0 victory had their homeland in raptures.
The action is plentiful tonight with four matches in store. The Socceroos make their much awaited debut against the French while Argentina and Iceland meet in a wonderful example of the universality of our game.
The third match sees Australia’s two other Group C rivals Denmark and Peru lock horns and Croatia and Nigeria meet in what could be the best of a good bunch, with both teams desperate for early points.
A couple of experts are off to a solid start and don’t forget to take them on head to head. Insert your tips in the sheet below to have your say in the 2018 World Cup as the famous roar of the crowd.
Draw, Argentina, draw, Croatia
In the spirit of adventure and positivity, I can see Australia holding France to a point. It is tough to imagine them winning yet team USA showed just last week that a compact and solid defence can frustrate the endlessly talented French. Now, all we need is a compact and defiant Australian defence that eliminates errors at the back.
Argentina will take all three points against Iceland who surely cannot reproduce their astonishing run from the 2016 European Championships.
Denmark and Peru will realise the value of the three points when they clash – both knowing that this match could well and truly decide second place in Group C. There may be some conservatism in approaches and a draw looks a likely result.
Croatia are my tip to start the tournament on a high against Nigeria. Personally, I think their squad is strong and if they can combat the speed and agility of the Africans without panic and chaos, they should grab a win in the Group D clash.
Draw, Argentina, draw, Croatia
The Socceroos can nick something against the French. They’ll benefit from playing France first up and if they can jag a goal from a set piece or counter-attack, they’ll be good enough to hold on. I’m tipping a draw.
I would love to see the fairytale continue, but it’s hard to see how Iceland can possibly compete with the might of Argentina.
Even if Lionel Messi doesn’t fire, one of their several other huge stars will. Argentina to win comfortably.
Peru vs Denmark is a fascinating clash. Peru will be running high on emotion, but will that be enough to beat the technically proficient Danes?
It’s a tough one to pick, so I’ll say Paolo Guerrero and Christian Eriksen to star in an entertaining draw.
It’s now or never for Croatia. They boast one of the world’s best players in Luka Modric, but it’s high time they translated their undoubted talent into actual results. They should have too much firepower for Nigeria.
(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
France, Argentina, Denmark, Croatia
Much as I’m hoping for the dream scenario of Australia keeping France scoreless for 89 minutes before the substitute duo of Daniel Arzani and Tim Cahill combine to put the Socceroos up with a minute to go… it’s not going to happen.
France have too much speed up front, Australia has a penchant for turning the ball over in midfield, and we’ll probably be looking at a two or three-goal loss. Still, one can dream.
Iceland were the darlings of Euro 2016, but they didn’t have to contend with the best player on the planet then.
Argentina’s wealth of attacking riches is a mightily daunting prospect, and Iceland don’t have the potency up front to expose any weaknesses the Albiceleste have at the back.
Whatever happens against France, Australian coaches, players and fans alike will have their eyes on the match-up between Peru and Denmark later tonight.
They’re neck-and-neck in the current world rankings, but the Danes are the classier side. With Christian Eriksen pulling the strings, Denmark should win.
The clash between Croatia and Nigeria looms as one of the more enticing of Matchday 3 encounters.
Nigeria have the potential to cause a surprise or two in the group stage, but Croatia’s star power in the form of Luka Modric, who tends to play a more advanced role in the national side than Real Madrid fans are used to, Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic should be too much for the Super Eagles.
France, Argentina, draw, Croatia
I really would like to think Australia can pull off the upset, but I also have the feeling Bert van Marwijk needs one more game to get his midfield and centre-back combination right; which will hopefully be a turning point for better results against Peru and Denmark.
France have a ludicrously good squad that is not the sum of its parts, but there are enough parts there to win this opening game.
A bit like France, Argentina have a wealth of attacking talent but haven’t knitted them together into a cohesive team just yet.
Iceland will cause problems with their strong, physical defending and directness in attack, but Messi will continue his superhuman feats for the national team and get Argentina out of jail.
Peru vs Denmark – Both of these teams have surprisingly long unbeaten records, a trend which will continue with an entertaining draw here. Both teams have clever attackers who can break down defences, and to be honest, I think a draw suits the Socceroos, anyway.
Croatia and Nigeria are two surprisingly good teams – one with a midfield who will dominate possession, another with speedy, counter-attacking forwards.
Croatia will control the game, and Nigeria will cause them problems on the break – but Croatia have too much quality in the centre to not come away with a win.
(Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
France, Argentina, draw, draw
Australia would do well to emulate the terrier-like tactics of USA who managed a 1-1 draw against a rusty France last week.
Can Australia withstand the onslaught of Giroud, Griezmann and Mbappe? They’ll give it a red-hot go and I am tipping Leckie or Arzani to pinch a goal. The French, however, will pinch one or two more.
Iceland’s World Cup debut will be hugely anticipated by many who have adopted them as their second team.
Expect Moscow’s Spartak Stadium to come alive and see how the Viking clap is really done. Lionel Messi will be the difference.
A classic battle of attack versus defence. Prior to their recent 0-0 draw with Sweden, Peru had scored eight goals in three games.
Denmark hasn’t conceded in their last four but haven’t scored many either. Denmark to score early and Peru to level with a flurry at the end.
Croatia have quality in the midfield with the likes of Modric and Rakitic, yet the team’s form in the lead up has been patchy.
In Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi, Nigeria have a young player with plenty of potential and the spirit among the Super Eagles will be sky high.
This should be one of the more attractive fixtures of the early rounds featuring two of the best kits in Russia 2018.
| Day 3 | Stuart | Mike | Daniel | Tim | Paul | The Crowd |
| FRA vs AUS | DRAW | DRAW | FRA | FRA | FRA | FRA |
| ARG vs ISL | ARG | ARG | ARG | ARG | ARG | ARG |
| PER vs DEN | DRAW | DRAW | DEN | DRAW | DRAW | DRAW |
| CRO vs NGA | CRO | CRO | CRO | CRO | DRAW | CRO |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
France and Argentina will both go in as massive favourites in the first two matches of the night, the French at $1.23 to triumph over Australia ($11) and Argentina at $1.33 to get a win over Iceland ($10). The contest between Peru ($3.15) and Denmark ($2.35) looks like the most evenly matched game of day 3, with Croatia heading in as comfortable $1.70 favourites against Nigeria.
| FRA vs AUS | ||
| France | Draw | Australia |
| $1.23 | $7.50 | $11.00 |
| ARG vs ISL | ||
| Argentina | Draw | Iceland |
| $1.33 | $5.00 | $10.00 |
| PER vs DEN | ||
| Peru | Draw | Denmark |
| $3.15 | $3.15 | $2.35 |
| CRO vs NGA | ||
| Croatia | Draw | Nigeria |
| $1.70 | $3.60 | $5.25 |
Odds via Pointsbet are correct as of 9:40pm (AEST) Friday, June 15.
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