Paraguay
There was an element of surprise when Paraguay defeated Germany on Penalties in the round of 32 but they only lost one game in Quaifying in the last 12 after appointing Gustavo Alfaro so it shouldn’t have come as that big a shock.
Of course that kind of form was not on show in the opening game when they were comfortably beaten 4-1 by co-hosts USA, however with many people writing them off they turned over Turkey 1-0 despite a red card for Miguel Almiron.
They ended the group with a 0-0 draw with Australia, showing the defensive resolve that had helped guide them through CONMEBOL Qualification. That result ensured they finished in second place in the group.
It wasn’t pretty against Germany but they refused to be beaten and they will hope to do the same to France.
Injuries & Team News
Paraguay and Sunderland centre-back Omar Alderete is yet to fully recover from a knee injury sustained in their final group game and is expected to miss out on Saturday.
Jose Canale could therefore retain his starting spot at centre-back alongside 93-cap Gustavo Gomez, with full-backs Juan Jose Caceres and Junior Alonso completing the four-man defence.
Brighton’s Diego Gomez is available to return after serving a one-match ban last time out, and he could be joined in centre-midfield by Andres Cubas and either Damian Bobadilla or Matias Galarza.
Strasbourg’s Julio Enciso, who scored in normal time against Germany, and Miguel Almiron are expected to continue out wide, while Gabriel Avalos is set to start again as the central striker, though Antonio Sanabria will be pushing for a recall.
T
Form
| Last Match | Last 6 Matches |
|---|---|
| 1-1 vs Germany |
L W L W D D
|
Predicted Line-Up
Paraguay possible starting lineup:
Gill; Caceres, G. Gomez, Canale, Alonso; Galarza, Cubas, D. Gomez; Almiron, Avalos, Enciso
France
France are one of only three teams, along with Mexico and Argentina, who have won 100% of their games at the 2026 World Cup and have scored a tournament-high 12 goals in the process.
Much of that devastating firepower has been driven by a frightening front four featuring Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola, the former of whom netted twice in a comfortable 3-0 victory over Sweden in the last 32 on Tuesday.
The match also marked an emotional return to the dugout for head coach Didier Deschamps following the passing of his mother. Deschamps – who famously captained Les Bleus to the aforementioned World Cup victory over Paraguay back in 1998 – has extended his record for most World Cup wins as a manager (18).
Ranked No.1 in the world by FIFA, France have won nine of their last 10 international matches across all competitions (L1) and have also prevailed in 15 of their last 18 World Cup fixtures (D2 L1) since the start of their triumphant 2018 campaign.
Injuries & Team News
As for France, there are no fresh injury concerns to report; Marcus Thuram is still dealing with a calf problem and remains doubtful. A start is not on the cards even if the Inter Milan forward were to make a full recover.
Deschamps may be tempted to name the same starting lineup that began against Sweden, with captain Mbappe set to continue up front as he bids to add to his 18 World Cup goals and chases down Lionel Messi (19) at the top of the tournament’s all-time scoring charts.
Olise, who has registered five assists and is just one away from equalling Pele’s all-time record of six at the World Cup, is expected to continue in the number 10 role, with PSG duo Dembele and Barcola providing support in attack from out wide.
Manu Kone will be hoping to force his way back into the first XI after starting against Iraq and Norway in the group stage. However, Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni are expected to link arms in centre-midfield.
Form
| Last Match | Last 6 Matches |
|---|---|
| 3-0 vs Sweden | L W W W W W |
Predicted Line-Up
France possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele, Olise, Barcola; Mbappe
Betting Odds
| Team | Odds | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Paraguay Win | 16/1 – (17.00) | Grand Ivy |
| Draw | 6/1 – (7.00) | Dream Vegas |
| France Win | 1/5 – (1.25) | 247Bet |
Prediction
Paraguay 0-2 France
This is likely to be the toughest test for the French so far but it is one we expect them to come through, they have too much fire power to fire a blank and Paraguay don’t offer much going forward.