England vs. France First Goalscorer Best Bets
- Jude Bellingham, England (+1000)
- Michael Olise, France (+1000)
First Goalscorer Picks for England vs. France
It can be tricky to predict what will happen in these third-place play-off games. Both teams will be incredibly disappointed not to be in the final. Both managers will also want to protect their players who are dealing with injuries as the club season quickly approaches. However, this match should also mean a lot to both sides.
For England, they have played in the third-place play-off twice at the World Cup, including in 2018, and lost both times. If they manage to beat France, it will be their second-best World Cup finish in the nation’s history. Thomas Tuchel also faced immense criticism for his management in the semi-final against Argentina. Tuchel was under contract to stick around for one more World Cup cycle after this one, but his job is now somewhat in question. If England gets a win against France, it could restore some faith in Tuchel heading into the Nations League and Euro 2028.
For France, this will be Didier Deschamps’ final game in charge. He led his nation to a World Cup title in 2018, and another final in 2022. It has been an incredible run for the French manager, but that era comes to an end on Saturday. The French players love their manager and would love to send him off with one more big win.
When it comes to which players will perform in this third-place play-off, I’m looking to back players with no fitness issues who have been consistent performers. There happens to be a world-class midfielder on each team that is 10/1 to score the first goal of this match. It seems fitting to make those two superb players my picks to score the first goal of this match.
Jude Bellingham, England (+1000)
Jude Bellingham has been England’s best player at this tournament and has taken his superstardom to another level. At just 23 years old, the number of big games he has played in is astonishing. Bellingham is the type of character that won’t take his foot off the gas because England missed out on the final. He will really want to beat this French side that contains a couple of his Real Madrid teammates.
Bellingham is tied with Harry Kane as England’s leading goalscorer with six goals in this tournament. In the knockout stage, he has been the main man, with four goals in England’s last three matches. He should be the leader in the center of the pitch for England during this third-place match. I would back Bellingham to put in the shift required to score the first goal of the match against this great French side.
Michael Olise, France (+1000)
Michael Olise has been one of the best players at this tournament. Just like Kane for England, Kylian Mbappe has stolen the headlines in France for his goal-scoring prowess. However, Olise has been just as important in France’s success. He has been the set-up man who has connected the defense to the incredible attacking players like Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele. Olise is fit, in great form and currently leads the World Cup in assists, a mark he will want to keep. That means Olise will almost certainly start this match.
Michael Olise has yet to score at this World Cup, but not through lack of effort. He has 17 shots in this tournament, the most of any Frenchman outside of Mbappe and Dembele. It could finally be Olise’s time to find the back of the net, rather than handing out the assist. Olise is more than capable of scoring incredible goals, as he proved last season at Bayern Munich. Olise ended up netting 22 goals in all competitions for his club, and has a great chance to add one for his country in this play-off match.
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