France and Spain battle it out for a place in the World Cup final on Tuesday night in Dallas, Texas, in what promises to be a mouthwatering tie.
France maintained their faultess record in North America this summer, as they secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over 2022 semi-finalists Morocco.
Despite missing a first-half penalty, Kylian Mbappe gave Les Blues the lead on the hour mark thanks to a terrific curling strike, before ex-PSG teammate Ousmane Dembele doubled their lead six minutes later.
Didier Deschamps’ men have now scored 16 goals across their six matches in the tournament and have conceded just twice, keeping clean sheets in all three of their knockout ties.
Spain have conceded even fewer goals than their opponents, with Luis de la Fuente’s charges conceding just once, but that did come in their quarter-final tie with Belgium.
Fabian Ruiz’s opener was cancelled out by that Charles De Ketelaere header for the Red Devils just before halftime, but for the second game in a row, Mikel Merino scored a late winner for La Roja – on an evening I landed a 10/11 winner.
After a slow start to the tournament in which they were held to a goalless draw by Cape Verde, Spain have been victorious in each of their next five matches.
How the bookies view it: France favourites
France have been installed as favourites to progress to a third consecutive World Cup final, with bet365 pricing Les Blues at 8/13 To Qualify, whilst a win inside 90 minutes is 7/5.
Spain are 13/10 to reach just their second-ever World Cup final, whilst a victory in regulation time is priced at 21/10 at bet365.
More match odds are available on our best mobile apps for World Cup betting.
Head to head: Two wins on the spin for Spain
Since meeting in the final of Euro 1984, these two nations have met 11 times in competitive clashes, with France winning five and Spain four.
La Roja have won the last two in the semi-finals of both the Nations League and Euro 2024 over the past couple of years.
Players to watch: More magic from Kylian
Kylian Mbappe bounced back from his poor penalty miss in the previous round by curling in a stunning strike to give France the lead against Morocco.
The Real Madrid superstar is the joint-leader in the race for the Golden Boot, scoring on eight occasions – getting on the scoresheet in 5/6 of France’s matches in North America this summer – and is an appealing 21/20 at bet365 to score once again in Dallas on Tuesday night.
Backed a player to find the net? Check our Goalscorer Betting guide to see how the markets work and where to find value.
Predicted line-ups:
Didier Deschamps has a decision to make in central midfield after Manu Kone came off with a slight knock in their win over Morocco in the previous round, with Aurelian Tchouameni available after picking up an injury himself in France’s 3-0 win over Sweden in the Round of 32.
Fabian Ruiz and Alex Baena are expected to keep their position in the starting 11 at the expense of Pedri and Alex Baena, whilst the match-winner in each of La Roja’s last two ties, Mikel Merino, is expected to once again start on the bench.
France: Maignan, Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne, Tchouameni, Rabiot, Dembele, Olise, Doue, Mbappe
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Ruiz, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal
Anything else catch the eye?
At the start of the tournament, these two nations were the bookies' favourites to lift the trophy, and given their performances this summer, they’ve got it spot on.
France have won all six of their matches in North America this summer, whilst Spain have been victorious in each of their past five following their goalless draw with Cape Verde in their tournament opener.
This tie could go either way, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it goes the distance, meaning I’m leaning towards the draw, which pays 9/4 at bet365.
GambleAware