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Steffen Schmidt - August 9, 2023
Australia vs France
FIFA Women’s World Cup
Date: 12 August 2023, Saturday
Kick-off at 08:00 UK / 09:00 CET
Venue: Brisbane Stadium (Brisbane).
A real buzz is expected in and around Brisbane Stadium on Saturday as more than 50,000 fans will cheer for co-hosts Australia in their attempt to beat France in a highly-anticipated FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinal.
The Matildas are the underdogs going into the tie but they do have the right to dream, especially after two staggering displays in back-to-back wins over Canada (4-0) and Denmark (2-0).
Tony Gustavsson’s team have, however, shown defensive fragility in the second round of the group stage when they allowed three goals in a tight defeat to Nigeria.
They are now up against one of the most talented offensive line in the tournament and we have reasons to be worried about Australia’s back line on Saturday.
After a disappointing goalless stalemate against Jamaica on the opening day, France seem to have found the right form as they have managed three consecutive wins since.
They survived a very tough test against Brazil in the second round (a crucial 2-1 win) before netting ten goals in the following two successes against Panama and Morocco.
Kadidiatou Diani is by far the standout performer of this team. She bagged four goals and delivered three assists so far in the tournament.
Diano contributed to all three goals within the inaugural 23 minutes of France’s R16 clash against Morocco on Tuesday (a 4-0 win), while forward Eugenie Le Sommer completed a brace on the occasion.
France have found the winning formula with fascinating attacking showings in the previous two matches and we expect their quality to make the difference on Saturday against Australia and their 50,000 fans in the stands.
You can back France at the 2.10 odds while we will alternatively go with Kadidiatou Diani to score anytime for the European powerhouse at the attractive 3.20 odds.
