Football Betting Tips: World Cup
2 points Under 2.5 goals at 10/11 (bet365)
1.5 points Lucas Digne 2+ fouls at 5/4 (William Hill)
0.5 points Brahim Diaz 1+ assist at 15/2 (Betfred, Coral, Ladbrokes)
Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair
Start: 21:00 BST, Thursday.
TV: ITV1
France are 2/1 favorites to win the World Cup, and for good reason.
They have been impeccable this summer, winning all five of their games, scoring multiple goals in four and keeping a clean sheet in three.
A win over Morocco on Thursday will secure their place in the semi-finals against Spain or Belgium and it does look like Les Bleus will have to lose this tournament.
Their attacking quartet of Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola made the headlines as expected.
France leads in the number of goals scored per match (2.8). At the time of writing, Mbappe is first in the Golden Boot race (7) and Olise tops the assist list (5).
And although Didier Deschamps has loosened the handbrake a little, he has kept the stoic defensive foundation intact. France ranks third in terms of goals conceded in the tournament (0.4 per 90).
So, with the support of 10/11 LESS THAN 2.5 HEADS seems like a reasonable way to go.
This bet worked in Morocco’s games against the Netherlands, Scotland and Brazil, where they scored a total of three goals and conceded twice. For context, they scored seven goals in two games against Haiti and Canada, conceding twice.
After the group stage, France won both knockout games by 0, punishing Sweden’s poor defense but struggling through the round of 16 against Paraguay.
They won this match with a score of 1:0. This was their least convincing performance in terms of score, but in my opinion, their most impressive.
The South Americans settled in a disgusting low quarter and gave up almost nothing. Excluding penalties, the French only managed an expected goals (xG) of 0.66, and this penalty goal was their only attempt with an xG value greater than 0.30.
And yet Deschamps’ team, like all great teams, found a way to win.
However, Paraguay provided Morocco with a blueprint to achieve a result in this quarter-final clash.
The North African side are difficult to beat, but they have a better attack, not least on the right flank. BRAHIM DIAZ and Ashraf Hakimi formed a strong partnership.
They have had a hand in 70% of Morocco’s goals this summer. Hakimi scored one goal and provided two assists, while Diaz contributed four assists, a tournament best that only Olise can match.
Half of Diaz’s assists came against Canada, but he also scored Morocco’s goal against Scotland and scored the opener in their 1-1 draw with Brazil.
At 15/2 with Betfred, Coral and Ladbrokes its price is 1+ HELP appeals. Although it’s worth noting that Betway is offering this angle at 10/1 if you can get along with the firm.
If the price were based solely on his average per 90 international assists (0.23), it would be worth taking at 7/2.
Morocco’s right wing also commits a lot of fouls, with Hakimi and Diaz combining for an average of 4.6 per game.
In five matches, opposing left-backs committed an average of 1.6 fouls and received two cards. Left midfielders and left central midfielders commit an average of 1.8 fouls per game.
So, the penalty lines of Adrien Rabiot, Barcola and LUCAS DIGNER It’s worth a look here.
B 5/4 COMPLETE 2+it’s the Aston Villa man’s price that stands out.
Digne has picked up three fouls in as many games this summer but has shared his minutes with Theo Hernandez.
I suspect Deschamps will go with Digne, a more conservative choice, but it’s worth checking the lineups on Thursday.
Odds adjusted at 13:00 BST (07/07/26).
More World Cup content from Sporting Life
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