World Cup Best Bets Today (Predictions for France vs. England in Third-Place Match)

France is favored against England in the third-place game on Saturday. | REUTERS

The World Cup semi-finals didn't go the way that France and England had hoped, and now the two countries will face each other in the third-place match on Saturday.

It's the penultimate match of the tournament, so let's place a few bets. In this article, I'm going to break down how I'm betting on the side and total.

Best World Cup Bets Today

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

• France 3-Way Moneyline (-110)
• OVER 3.5 Goals including extra time (-108)

France 3-Way Moneyline (-110)

This tournament is going to feel like a missed opportunity for England, but when you look at some of the underlying numbers, you'll see they simply weren't in the same class as the top teams, including France. England has an expected goal differential in this tournament of +0.44, while France sits with a mark of +1.27.

France didn't bring its best stuff against Spain, but it largely handled the rest of the teams it faced. Meanwhile, England struggled almost every step of the way, needing late goals against DR Congo and Norway to advance, as well as playing to a 0-0 draw to Ghana in the Group Stage.

I feel comfortable in betting on France to win in regulation.

OVER 3.5 Goals including Extra Time (-108)

England can certainly create scoring opportunities with the likes of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, but its defense has been a huge issue for them so far this tournament. England has an expected goals against mark of 1.28, one of the worst marks amongst the teams that advanced to the Round of 16. As a result, we've seen some high-scoring games involving England, and I think we're in for another one on Saturday.

We all know how good France's offensive attack is, highlighted by Mbappe, and he's going to want to notch another goal or two to try to win the Golden Boot. I'd be shocked if France doesn't score at least a couple of goals, and England's offense is also good enough to find the back of the net. I'll bet the OVER 3.5, and I'll include extra time to play this wager in a bit more of a safe fashion.

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