England vs. France Anytime Goalscorer Picks
- Anthony Gordon, England (+155)
- Ousmane Dembele, France (+270)
Anytime Goalscorer Best Bets for England vs. France
The third-place play-off game can be a tough thing to bet on. Of course, both teams will want to win, but also both teams will be incredibly disappointed to not be playing in the final. For Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe, the Golden Boot is still on the line. For those players and the likes of Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele, spots on the team of the tournament are also still up for grabs. On top of those individual accolades, national pride is still on the line with the chance to finish in third place.
However, both managers could make some changes to the starting lineup they would have put out for the final. For England, players like John Stones, Reece James and Declan Rice, who have dealt with nagging injuries, could be left out of the team so they can focus on starting their recovery. Even if they don’t start, it could also be a chance to give players like Ollie Watkins for England or Warren Zaire-Emery for France some minutes after they saw minimal or no time at this World Cup. So, until lineups come out, these are the picks I am confident in to bag a goal in the third-place play-off match.
Anthony Gordon, England (+360)
Anthony Gordon has really come into his own for England as this tournament has progressed. During the group stage, he lacked confidence, and it seemed as if the more experienced Marcus Rashford could be the better option on the left wing. However, in the knockout stage, Gordon started to find his role on this team. He provided both assists to Harry Kane in the Round of 32 comeback against DR Congo; he then added another assist in the quarterfinals against Norway.
Gordon finally got his name on the score sheet in the semifinals against Argentina. He did brilliantly to score the goal that broke the 0-0 draw in that game, and for a while it looked to be one of the biggest goals in England history. I’ll back him to score another one against France.
Gordon is the exact type of player that should get a role in a third-place game. He is at his first World Cup and is just coming into his own as a player, heading to FC Barcelona this summer. He is a player that could be the starting left wing for England again in four years and needs this international experience. Gordon is also fit and playing the best football of his World Cup as of late. He should get the start for this match and has a real chance to score again against a France back four that will be without its star, William Saliba.
Ousmane Dembele, France (+155)
This should be a big effort from France to win this third-place match. This will be the final match for French manager Didier Deschamps, who guided them to the World Cup title in 2018 and the final in 2022. It has been an incredible eight-year run for this group of players and that manager, and they should try to go out on a high note. Also, Kylian Mbappe is tied atop the Golden Boot race, and Michael Olise leads the tournament in assists. These players will want to achieve those individual honors.
The core attacking group of Olise, Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele should all start in this match. The only question mark up top is whether Desire Doue or Bradley Barcola will get the start on the left wing. That makes it hard to back either of those players before the lineup comes out. When it comes to Olise, he has yet to score a goal in this tournament and has comfortably played the distributor role. That makes it between Mbappe and Dembele for the best goalscorer bet for this match. The price difference between +155 for Dembele and -185 for Mbappe makes Dembele the more appealing choice.
Dembele has five goals at this World Cup so far, not far behind Mbappe’s total. This will also be a vulnerable England defense. Reece James, John Stones and Declan Rice all have a chance to miss this game because of fitness issues. That would leave England quite short-handed at the back. This is not the side you want to face with a weakened back line. France should be aggressive on the counter-attack and find a way to score a couple of goals. Their Ballon d’Or winner should score one of those goals against England.
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