France goes up against Denmark in the FIFA World Cup 2022 on Saturday, November 26. The Group D match will kick off at 9:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST) at Stadium 974, Ras Abu Aboud, Qatar.
France, the reigning world champions, started their title defence with a bang, winning 4-1 against Australia, courtesy of an Olivier Giroud brace. In the process, Giroud equalled Thiery Henry’s record of 51 goals for the French football team. All three points on Saturday would ensure France’s place in the knockout stages.
France will be without Karim Benzema for the remainder of the tournament after the Real Madrid striker suffered a left thigh injury ahead of the opening game.
Meanwhile, the Denmark football team were held to a goalless draw against Tunisia in their tournament opener. Denmark won nine of their ten matches in their qualifying campaign for the 2022 edition. They also sealed four victories in six matches of the recently-concluded UEFA Nations League.
France vs Denmark head-to-head
France played Denmark for the first time in an international friendly in November 1973, winning 3-0. Overall, the French side has registered eight wins and a couple of draws in this fixture, while the Danes have won six.
In the FIFA World Cup, France and Denmark won one game against each other, alongside a draw in the 2018 edition in Russia.
The recent record favours Denmark, who won the two matches played between the nations in 2022. The latest victory was in the UEFA Nations League, where goals from Kasper Dolberg and Andreas Skov Olsen earned the Danes all three points.
France’s last win against the Danish side was a 2-1 success in an international friendly in October 2015.
France vs Denmark World Cup record
France have won the FIFA World Cup title twice, in 1998 and 2018.
The Zinedine Zidane-led team finished as the runners-up in the 2006 edition. The French side has two third-placed finishes and one fourth-placed finish in the tournament.
On the other hand, Denmark are yet to make the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup. Their best finish was the 1998 edition in France, when they reached the quarter-final, only to lose 2-1 to the hosts.
France vs Denmark predicted XI
France predicted XI: Hugo Lloris (captain and goalkeeper); Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upamecano, Ibrahima Konate, Theo Hernandez; Adrien Rabiot, Aurelien Tchouameni; Ousmane Dembele, Antonie Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe; Olivier Giroud.
Denmark predicted XI: Kasper Schmeichel (goalkeeper); Joachim Andersen, Simon Kjaer (captain), Andreas Christensen; Rasmus Kristensen, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Mathias Jensen, Christian Eriksen, Joakim Maehle; Andreas Skov Olsen, Kasper Dolberg.
France vs Denmark prediction
Despite all the injury concerns ahead of their tournament opener, Les Bleus sealed an emphatic victory to gain momentum for their title defence. In Antonie Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud, France have high goal-scoring potential in their arsenal, giving them the impetus needed to grab all three points at Stadium 974.
Meanwhile, a toothless performance against Tunisia put Denmark on the back foot. Although they had recent success against the French, it will be difficult for Simon Kjaer and Co. to penetrate through the backline and trouble Hugo Lloris.
Interested in football betting? Click here to check out the list of top sites.
Featured photo: Alamy
