Uruguay to push France to the edge
First up in the quarter finals of World Cup 2018 is Uruguay vs. France. I’m expecting France to come out and dominant possession although it will take a while for them to crack the South Americans. That kind of pressure and pressing play should result in quite a few corners for the French.
Match Tips
I’m expecting Uruguay to try and slow the pace of the game right down so it doesn’t end up like some wild west shoot out like we saw in the France-Argentina game. I think for this one it would be a mistake to focus on the betting markets for goals as the odds seem too low to me. Instead I’m looking at France moving forward swiftly and consistently leading to quite a few corner ball situations. I think it’ll be the exact opposite situation for Uruguay.
For France to win more corners than Uruguay is dependent on Uruguay keeping a check on France’s offensive threats
For France to win more corners than Uruguay is dependent on Uruguay keeping a check on France’s offensive threats, so as to not allow the French an early lead. I see the South Americans managing this well, much better than any of France’s previous opponents. Let’s consider the superior defensive strength Uruguay possess, primarily in the Atlético Madrid pairing of José Giménez and Diego Godin. Don’t forget these boys know their teammate and French target man Antoine Griezmann better than no other.
Having said I think France can poke and prod long enough to force Uruguay into some corner situations. I’m even going to go all out and say that if Uruguayan target man Edinson Cavani is missing it will hamper their ability to release the ball to him and thus decrease their chances to win corners themselves.
Call me crazy but France haven’t exactly been on fire when it comes to corner situations in the tournament up to this point. Despite scoring four goals against Argentina and pushing forward convincingly for the first time at this year’s World Cup, they only managed one corner. That’s why I don’t think they’ll win a massive amount of corners. But like I said, they’ll push forward and in turn Uruguay’s superior defensive capabilities will push them into some corner opportunities. I don’t see more than them winning six though.
My bet is that France will be the first out of the two to make it to four corners at odds of 9/10 with Betfair. Betfair are also offering France the first to five corners for odds of 10/11.
