World Cup 2018 Standings: Predicting Saturday's Scores and Results

A stacked four-match slate headlines Saturday's 2018 FIFA World Cup schedule, as top tournament contenders Argentina and France make their introductions against Iceland and Australia, respectively.

Group C favourites France will look to lay down a marker against underdogs Australia before Argentina's Group D campaign begins against Iceland, who are making their first appearance at a World Cup finals.

The later clash between Denmark and Peru in Group C looks far closer on paper in what's likely to be a battle for second, similar to Croatia's meeting with Nigeria in Group D's evening kick-off.

We dissect Saturday's healthy World Cup helping with score predictions and projected standings for how things will look in the aftermath.

Saturday's Fixtures and Predictions

France 2-0 Australia, 1 p.m. local time/11 a.m. BST/6 a.m. ET

Argentina 3-1 Iceland, 4 p.m. local time/2 p.m. BST/9 a.m. ET

Denmark 1-1 Peru, 7 p.m. local time/5 p.m. BST/12 p.m. ET

Croatia 2-2 Nigeria, 9 p.m. local time/8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET

Projected Group C Standings (Goal Difference)

1. France: 3 (+2)

2. Denmark: 1 (0)

3. Peru: 1 (0)

4. Australia: 0 (-2)

Projected Group D Standings (Goal Difference)

1. Argentina: 3 (+2)

2. Nigeria: 1 (0)

3. Croatia: 1 (0)

4. Iceland: 0 (-2)

Les Bleus Attack Australia, Peru Prove Powerful

France will be the first to live up to expectations on Saturday and should earn a routine three points against Australia, who are featuring in their fourth straight World Cup but have failed to move past the group stage in their last two.

Didier Deschamps possesses easily one of the best squads in the tournament, albeit slightly undercooked, and statistician Nick Harris pointed to evidence their lineup is the most valuable in Russia:

One concern is that while the likes of Paul Pogba (25), Kylian Mbappe (19), Samuel Umtiti (24), Ousmane Dembele (21) and Corentin Tolisso (23) are all supremely gifted, they're also all quite young or inexperienced to be such key figures.

Or perhaps the weakness comes in the questionable mental fortitude Jimmy Conrad described in his Group C preview:

However, all their talent will be too much for the Socceroos, who lost 6-0 to Les Bleus in their only clash in the last 17 years (October 11, 2013), per 11v11.com.

Conrad also gave Peru his vote to come second in Group C ahead of Denmark, although we predict the two will draw in a low-scoring affair on Saturday, which has the makings of a tetchy opener.

Peru's defence has been sensational of late—they've conceded one in their last seven—while Denmark lack a top-class finishing forward, reflected in their total of five goals in their last six games, and the spoils look likely to be shared.

Argentina Arrive in Style, Croatia and Nigeria to Impress

Argentina are seen as the front-runners to emerge atop Group D, and they face World Cup debutants Iceland at Moscow's Otkritie Arena seeking an immediate boost to their title hopes in Russia.

The two-time winners and one of the most experienced nations in World Cup history will look to give their Icelandic opponents a gruesome introduction to the competition.

Opta gave the South Americans a fine chance at the title in what could be Lionel Messi's last shot at football's biggest prize:

The gulf doesn't get much bigger than this in terms of major tournament experience, and Argentina's attack—comprising Messi, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala—should blitz its way to victory.

Nigeria and Croatia don't only bring two of the jazziest kits to Russia, they're also capable of some of the most attractive football.

Tifo Football saw a Croatia victory in their curtain-raiser:

The Super Eagles are defensively suspect and have looked more amateur when faced with capable opponents, which Croatia will be compared to their opponents in CAF qualification.

But despite that, we're expecting Nigeria to be among the toughest teams mentally at this World Cup, giving them a chance to scrape a point in what could be one of the top fixtures to watch on this opening weekend.