France arrived at the World Cup carrying the weight of expectation. One match into the tournament, nothing has changed.

Didier Deschamps’s side overcame a stubborn Senegal team in their opener and now stand on the verge of securing a place in the knockout rounds with a game to spare. Iraq, meanwhile, face a very different reality. Their return to the World Cup stage after four decades began with a harsh lesson against Norway, leaving them with little margin for error heading into Philadelphia.

The challenge for Iraq is obvious. The challenge for France is avoiding complacency against an opponent that knows it has little to lose.

Analysis

France Continue To Look Like Genuine Contenders

The opening victory over Senegal reinforced both the strengths and weaknesses of this French side. Going forward, few teams in the competition possess the same combination of pace, creativity and individual brilliance. Kylian Mbappe once again stole the headlines, but France’s attacking threat extends well beyond their captain. Bradley Barcola’s emergence adds another dangerous dimension, while the supporting cast around Mbappe continues to evolve.

What will please Deschamps most is that France never appeared rattled when Senegal briefly threatened to make a contest of it. The response was immediate, controlled and ultimately decisive.

Yet there are still areas requiring attention. France have developed an annoying habit of conceding goals in matches they appear to control. Against elite opponents, those lapses may become more costly later in the tournament. Deschamps is experienced enough to know that World Cups are rarely won through attacking quality alone.

Fortunately for France, Iraq are unlikely to ask the same questions that Senegal did. This fixture should allow Les Bleus to dominate possession, dictate the tempo and spend long periods operating in advanced areas. If they do that successfully, qualification should follow.

Iraq Must Embrace The Underdog Role

Results alone do not always tell the full story of a World Cup performance. Iraq’s 4-1 defeat to Norway looked severe on paper, but Graham Arnold’s side were competitive for significant periods and showed flashes of why they fought their way through a difficult qualification campaign.

The problem was what happened once the game began to stretch. Norway’s superior quality eventually punished individual mistakes and moments of defensive indecision, turning a competitive contest into a comfortable victory. Against France, similar errors are unlikely to be forgiven.

That does not mean Iraq should abandon ambition. One encouraging aspect of the Norway match was their willingness to commit players forward when opportunities arose. Aymen Hussein remains the focal point of the attack, while the midfield possesses enough technical ability to retain possession when given time.

The difficulty, of course, is that France rarely allow opponents much time. Arnold’s task will be finding the balance between discipline and adventure. Sit too deep and France’s attackers may eventually overwhelm them. Commit too many bodies forward and space will appear for Mbappe and company to exploit. Neither option is particularly attractive.

Managing Expectations

This match carries very different pressures for the two nations. France are expected to win comfortably. Anything less would dominate headlines and invite unnecessary scrutiny ahead of the knockout rounds.

Iraq operate from the opposite position. Few observers expect them to take points from this game, which creates a degree of freedom that can sometimes make underdogs dangerous.

The opening stages may therefore be crucial. If France score early, the match could quickly become one-sided. If Iraq remain organised and frustrate the favourites, doubt may begin to creep into the French performance. That scenario is easier to imagine than it is to execute.

Verdict

France have not looked flawless, but they have looked exactly what contenders should look like: dangerous, confident and capable of finding solutions when matches become complicated.

Iraq deserve respect for the resilience they showed against Norway, but they are stepping up another level here. Over ninety minutes, France possess too much quality across the pitch and should secure the result they need to book their place in the knockout phase.

Tip

France to win and keep a clean sheet.