France vs Kazakhstan
13 November 1945hrs
Football – International – World Cup Qualification Europe
Pick France win/BTTS
Bookmaker Betvictor
Odds: 4/5 odds taken 2000 GMT, Tuesday 9 November
Reigning World Champions France just need a point to guarantee their place at next year’s finals and are big favourites to gain that when hosting Kazakhstan in Paris on Saturday evening.
Table of Contents
France Preview – Can France avoid any slip-ups and book their place in Qatar?
It’s not been vintage for France during qualification but the fact remain that if they get one point from their final two games then the world champions will be back to defend their title in Qatar in 12 months time. The French sit top of the group, three points clear of Ukraine in second place having played a game less. Finland are one point further back with two games to go but they finish their campaign against France next week.
The big news coming into this game for France was Paul Pogba’s injury. The Manchester United midfielder – who is such a key player for his national team – broke down in training at the beginning of the week and will be missing until the new year.
Didier Deschamps men come into this match not only as world champions but also recently crowned winners of the Nations League following a dramatic 2-1 win against Spain last month’s final. Similar to the European Championships in the summer the level of performance was not always impressive but this time around their big game players came to the fore and made the difference at crucial times.
In this qualification campaign France have a record of three wins and three draws from six games. They’ve actually drawn at home to both Ukraine and Bosnia which suggests they find it difficult breaking teams down. They’ll be hoping to put that right in this game.
Kazakhstan Preview – Are Kazakhstan able to spoil their host’s party by gaining a first win in qualification?
Kazakhstan remain in search of their first win in this qualifying campaign so the fact they’re playing the top seeds in the group away from home in their final game doesn’t bode well for their hopes of picking up an elusive victory. It’s not been as disappointing a performance as that record would suggest. Scratching below the surface and they have done well to get draws against Ukraine (both home and away) and away to Bosnia. So they are capable.
The frustration would have been losing both matches against Finland and failing to score a goal in either of those games.
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Stretching it back a bit further and the points picked up away to Bosnia and Ukraine in this section are the only two occasions where Kazakhstan have avoided defeat in their last nine away games in World Cup qualification. Their last win on the road in these qualifiers was away to Andorra in 2009.
More generally their away form has been more miss than hit. Their last 17 away games have seen them win only twice – against Lithuania and San Marino.
France vs Kazakhstan Betting Advice
On paper this looks like the perfect opportunity for France to get the result they need in order to avoid any issues heading into their final qualifier in Helsinki on Tuesday. Whilst the absence of Pogba is not a help it should also not be a massive miss due to the quality they have waiting to come in.
The French were too good for their opponents when the nations met back in March. Ousmane Dembele and an own goal proved to be decisive in that match.
Key Facts – France vs Kazakhstan Betting Tip
- France have laboured to the top of this section with three draws in their six games so far
- Kazakhstan are without a win but have taken points twice against Ukraine in the section
- The French proved to be too good when defeating their opponents 2-0 back in March
France have rarely been impressive in recent times but they tend to get the job done and I’m banking on them doing similar once again. However, having conceded against Ukraine and Bosnia – and with Kazakhstan scoring against both of those teams, a France win with both teams scoring is the value play.
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