Brothers, France vs. Iraq, and the bookmakers have already opened a hefty -2.75 line. That makes it pretty clear this is expected to be a one-sided matchup. Personally, I’m still leaning toward the French side tonight.
From their previous matches, once those strong, fast wingers for France get going, it really feels like a dimension reduction-style mismatch against Asian defenses. Iraq do have a relatively solid defensive setup by Asian standards, but they’ve never faced this kind of world-class pressing tempo. Once the midfield gets sticky and loses the ball, it’s basically a one-on-one chance at the back. That said, brothers, you also have to watch out: France often play what people call “maintenance football,” so if they score two in the first half and ease off, or if Iraq park the bus for the entire match, covering a big handicap fully could get tricky. There’s no guaranteed script here, but for this one I personally prefer taking a shot on the hosts -2.75. Don’t go all in blindly, lads—watch the game rationally!