Our man Andy’s got three picks for Saturday’s Miami clash.
And so England’s World Cup comes to an end in the 3rd/4th place game. Would England’s manager, players, and fans have taken that at the beginning of the tournament? Probably. But after coming so close and making it to the semi-finals, yet again, and the manner of their defeat at the hands of Argentina, it’s hard to see Thomas Tuchel’s charges being up for their showdown with France in Miami.
Of course, the same can be said for Didier Deschamps’ France, who mystified us during the tournament until the Spanish were able to crack their midfield code and bring a halt to their attacking play.
More importantly, though, than setting the scene, are there any value selections for a tidy Bet Builder? Well, fear not, X/Twitter’s top tipster Andy Robson has a treble in mind for you lucky lot. Two of Andy’s selections are player picks covered by Paddy’s Super Sub offer, meaning if the player is hooked off, the pick carries over to his replacement. Let’s get his France v England picks.
France to win
Desire Doue to score or assist
Marcus Rashford to have 1+ shots from outside the box
A Bet Builder with these selections pays approximately 11/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK OR TAP HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
Andy’s Bet Club is packed with predictions and data-backed Football Tips. You can also get ready for the rest of the tournament with World Cup 2026 Predictions.
WHEN: Saturday, July 18th, 10pm
WHERE: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida
TV: BBC One/BBC iPlayer/RTE2
France to win
There’s a real chance that England will be really flat here following their disappointment against Argentina last time out. Spain outclassed France in their semi-final, but there is a sense that England weren’t outclassed by Argentina but instead threw the game away, having gone into a 1-0 lead heading into the final portion of the game.
England lost their most recent third-place playoff at a World Cup, losing out 2-0 to Belgium back in 2018, and I think France have the quality to pick them apart in this clash. Tuchel’s side are also going to be missing key players here; the likes of Reece James and Declan Rice will almost certainly miss out, and other stars may be rested. France have superior depth to England, so if there is mass rotation on both sides – I’d still expect Deschamps’ side to come out on top.
Desire Doue to score or assist
Desire Doue should come into the starting eleven here as part of the expected rotation from France, given that Bradley Barcola was, for the most part, getting the nod from Didier Deschamps at this tournament. The PSG winger has registered two goal contributions across just 353 minutes of action at the World Cup. I think Deschamps made a bit of a mistake in leaving him on the bench for the semi-final against Spain. Doue is good in these big matches and has experience of stepping up, having scored in the Champions League final a few seasons ago.
Doue’s goal contributions came against Norway and Morocco, so he’s more than capable of causing damage to England here, who are likely to be very fatigued and defensively vulnerable down that side of the pitch. Right back has been a constant problem area for Thomas Tuchel at this World Cup, so it really wouldn’t be surprising to see France get some joy in that area of the pitch.
Marcus Rashford to have 1+ shots from outside the box
Many of the England forwards looked completely shattered by the end of the semi-final against Argentina, so we should see some rotation in forward areas, and I expect Marcus Rashford to come into the fold. We really should have seen Rashford coming off the bench a lot earlier against Argentina earlier this week. His speed on the counter could have really helped England have an out ball, but Tuchel opted to keep him on the bench until the very final stages of the contest.
He’s one of only two England players, other than Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, to have found the back of the net at this World Cup, with the other being Anthony Gordon. Rashford got that goal against Croatia in England’s opening game and has had three shots on target at the tournament, with one of these efforts coming from outside of the box.
The former Barcelona loanee took four of his nine shots during qualifying from outside of the box, including two of his five shots on target. He also scored two of his eight goals from outside the box for the Catalans during their most recent campaign, as well as taking 43% of his shots from outside the penalty area.
France v England Tips
France to win
Desire Doue to score or assist
Marcus Rashford to have 1+ shots from outside the box
A Bet Builder with these selections pays approximately 11/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK OR TAP HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
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