The third match of the Round of 16 sees one of the favourites, France, take on Poland at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha on the 4th of December at 15:00 GMT. The winners of this clash between the Group D winners and Group C runners-up will book themselves a quarter-final clash with either England or Senegal, while the losers will be on their way home wondering about what could have been. There will not be many World Cup 2022 predictions out there that give Poland a hope in hell of beating the French, but this 2022 World Cup has proven that you can never be that sure about what will happen. Keep on reading our France vs Poland prediction to find out how we think this game will pan out.
Our France vs Poland prediction: France to win.
France vs Poland Preview
At this current moment in time, it has not yet been released as to whether this match will be shown live on BBC 1 or ITV 1. This should be confirmed by the end of the Group Stage, so just have a quick check before the game is due to start so you know which channel you should be tuning into.
Below you can see the tables from Group C and Group D, and we suggest that you take the time to look at both tables since doing so can give you a very good idea as to how both of these teams played in order to book themselves a spot in the knockout stages. It is always wise to look at recent results and the current form of a team before you do some football betting since form is obviously something that will go a long way to deciding which team will progress in the competition.
Group C:
| Team | Matches Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal Difference | Points |
| Argentina | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +3 | 6 |
| Poland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Mexico | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 4 |
| Saudi Arabia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 3 |
Group D:
| Team | Matches Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal Difference | Points |
| France | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +3 | 6 |
| Australia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 6 |
| Tunisia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Denmark | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 1 |
🏠 France Form and Team News
As you can see from the Group D table above, France topped their group courtesy of two wins and one defeat from their three group game matches. After a comfortable 4-1 victory over Australia and a 2-1 victory over a very disappointing Denmark, France headed into their final Group D match against Tunisia safe in the knowledge that they had already booked themselves a spot in the Round of 16. With this firmly in mind, French manager, Didier Deschamps decided to make a whole raft of changes and gave all of his squad players a run out to see what they could do. The answer to this question is not a lot, and Tunisia went on to win the match 1-0, although this was not enough to see them through to the next round.
For their Round of 16 match, Deschamps does not have any fresh injury or suspensions that he needs to contend with, so given the performances of his squad players against Tunisia, he will be happy with that news. When it comes to potential suspensions for the Quarter-Finals, should they manage to overcome Poland, J. Kounde is the only player on a yellow card, so he will be walking a disciplinary tightrope in this match. Obviously, if any player was to be sent off against the Poles, then they would be suspended for their Quarter-Final match against either England or Senegal.
France Starting Lineup
In their match against Tunisia, Deschamps decided to go for a 4-3-3 formation, but for their games against Poland, our France vs Poland prediction has it that they will revert back to the formation that they used against Denmark, which was 4-2-3-1. Additionally, the line-up will, we think, more or less resemble the starting XI for that match. Below is our predicted XI for France:
- H. Loris
- T. Hernández
- D. Upamecano
- R. Varane
- J. Koundé
- A. Rabiot
- A. Tchouaméni
- O. Dembélé
- A. Griezmann
- K. Mbappe
- O. Giroud
When you look at this starting XI, it is no surprise that France are one of the favourites to go on and win the 2022 World Cup. However, France do not have the same strength in depth that other teams have off the bench, such as England, so if they pick up a couple of injuries as the tournament progresses, it could end up harming their chances of retaining their trophy.
⭐ France Players to Watch
The France starting XI, as we explained above, is full of quality, and here are three players that you and the Polish players should keep a close eye on when they clash on Sunday.
- Kylian Mbappe: If there is one France players that the Poland defenders will be very aware of it is PSG’s Mbappe, who is one of the most talented players in the world at this moment in time. His pace, strength, and technical ability make him a complete nightmare for any defender to deal with. He already has 3 goals to his name at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and we would not be surprised if he managed to add to this against Poland. However, the Poles will probably sit every player behind the ball and try to bore the French team into submission
- Theo Hernández: When it comes to exciting left-backs, Hernández is up there as one of the best. Not only is he a talented defender, but he can also cause a lot of issues with his direct attacking play. Some defenders are afraid of going forward with the ball, but Hernández craves it, as can be seen by the fact that he has 20 goals for AC Milan from the 111 matches that he has played. We are looking forward to watching him bust up and down the wing in this Round of 16 tie
- Antoine Griezmann: The Atletico Madrid forward has been a mainstay in the France team for some time now, and he pulls the strings for his side when they are on the attack. He has been capped 113 times by his country, and he has found the back of the net on 42 occasions, which means he scores a goal every three games or so. He is yet to score in this WC for France, but if Poland present him with the opportunity, then there is every chance that he will bury it
☍ Poland Form and Team News
As can be seen from the Group C table above, Poland finished second in Group C, but only by the barest of margins. Their first game of the 2022 WC was against Mexico, which ended in a 0-0 draw, while their second match saw them beat Saudi Arabia 2-0, thanks to some poor errors from the Saudis. Entering their third and final match of the group against Argentina, Poland knew that a draw or a small defeat could see them pip the Mexicans to second spot, so they decided to not play any football against Argentina and just try to scrape through by the skin of their teeth, which is what they did. To say that they stunk the place out with their extremely negative display would be a big understatement, but they will not care because they are through to the knockout stages.
Given their performance against Argentina, there will not be many football predictions out there that will give Poland a chance of beating the French and going through to the last eight. However, if they play their negative brand of football once again, then they might be able to frustrate France, take it to penalties, and then it is a lottery.
Poland manager, Czesław Michniewicz, does not have any injuries or suspensions ahead of this big match against the French, but he does have M. Cash, J. Kiwior, A. Milik, and G. Krychowiak all on a yellow card, so they will know that another booking will see them ruled out of the next match, should they progress. However, in all honesty, another yellow card will probably not happen since it will be the shock of shocks if a limited Poland team beat France.
Poland Starting Lineup
Against Argentina, the Poles lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, and this is what we are expecting when they take on France at the weekend. Below as part of our France vs Poland prediction is our predicted Polish XI to take on the French:
- W. Szczesny
- B. Bereszynski
- J. Kiwior
- K. Glik
- M. Cash
- P. Frankowski
- G. Krychowiak
- K. Bielik
- P. Zielinski
- K. Swiderski
- R. Lewandowski
⭐ Poland Players to Watch
Below we have provided you with three Polish players to keep a close eye on during their clash with France at the weekend.
- Wojciech Szczęsny: There is no doubt that Szczęsny has been the best player for Poland at this World Cup, which really does say an awful lot about the type of football that they have been playing. He has made some vital saves, including two penalties, and if Poland manage to frustrate France and take the game all the way to penalties, he could play a huge role in sending the Poles through to the Quarter-Finals. However, before that, he will have plenty to do as France pepper the Poland goal
- Matty Cash, The Aston Villa right-back, as you can tell from his short name, is an adopted Pole, having qualified through his mother, but he has become a starter in the Poland XI due to his defensive abilities. He defended very well against Argentina to help limit the damage and limp into the Round of 16, and he will be looking to help keep a very talented France attack as quiet as possible. He often enjoys a run up the wing, but he will probably be instructed by his manager not to pass over the halfway line
- Robert Lewandowski: The Barcelona forward is Poland’s best player by a country mile, but it is likely that he will be playing as an extra defender against France in this Round of 16 tie. To date, he has 137 international matches under his belt, and he has scored 77 times. In 2022, he signed for Barcelona, and in the 14 matches that he has played, he has scored 13 goals. The guy can score goals for fun, and if he gets a chance against France, he will have to use his predatory instincts and make sure that he finds the back of the net
France vs Poland Betting Odds
Whenever you are thinking about doing some football betting on the World Cup, you need to do so with some top WC 2022 betting odds as this ensures that you get the most from you money, should you go on and place a winning bet. Luckily for you, at Betiton, we provide our punters with very competitive betting odds for a wide range of markets. When it comes to World Cup bets, our punters like to bet on the match winner and the total number of goals, which is why we have provided you with our odds for these two markets below:
Match Winner
| France to Win | Poland to Win | Draw |
| 1.23 | 11.50 | 5.35 |
Over/Under 2.5 Goals
| Over 2.5 Goals | Under 2.5 Goals |
| 1.76 | 1.93 |
Who Will Win? France vs Poland Prediction
When it comes to doing some online sports betting on this match, there is only one winner for us, and that is France. Poland have shown throughout this tournament that they are a very limited team and will just look to defend and frustrate their opponents, hoping to score a goal on the counter. If they cannot do that, then they will try to take the match into penalties and rely on their keeper to send them through to the quarter-finals. However, in all honesty, we do not see any kind of World Cup betting upset happening in this match since France’s quality in attack should shine through.
Our France vs Poland prediction: France to win.
Our France vs Poland Betting Tips
Do we have any other World Cup tips for you? You bet we do! If you want to put money on a France win, you should make use of the handicap option in order to improve your profit margin. For example, if you were to give the French a -1.5-goal margin, then you can improve their odds to 1.72. In this case, they would need to win the match 2-0 in order for you to win your bet.
As it goes, this is what we think the score will be. So, if you do not want to bet on a winner, then maybe you would be tempted to put your money on the under 2.5 goals market.
