France vs. South Korea: Odds, Live Stream, TV Info for Women's World Cup 2019
The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup will get under way on Friday, as host nation France take on South Korea at the Parc des Princes.
France are one of the favourites to reach the final to be played in Lyon on July 7. However, they will need to secure passage through Group A first.
South Korea will be seeking to spring a big upset in the opener, while the other two sides in the group—Norway and Nigeria—go head-to-head in Reims on Saturday.
Odds
France win (4/9)
Draw (71/10)
South Korea win (21/1)
Odds courtesy of Oddschecker.
Date: Friday, June 7
Time: 8 p.m. (BST), 3 p.m. (ET)
TV Info: BBC (UK), FOX Sports 1 (U.S.)
Live Stream: BBC iPlayer (UK), FOX Sports Go (U.S.)
Preview
France manager Corinne Diacre will be expected to steer this group of players to the latter stages of the competition, and the coach is blessed with some of the most gifted footballers on the planet.
European football journalist Andy Brassell noted just how high profile an event the World Cup is in France:
In their squad there is a blend of both youth and experience, not to mention a core of stars who were part of the Lyon side that recently hammered Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League final; that was Lyon's fourth European Cup success in a row.
One of those is skipper Amandine Henry, who has dominated so many midfield battles in the past. Meanwhile, up top the goals will likely come from her Lyon team-mate Eugenie Le Sommer, who has netted 74 times for France.
The competition Twitter account shared some of her best moments for Les Bleues on her 30th birthday recently:
Le Sommer is the senior option in what is an otherwise youthful attacking setup, with Delphine Cascarino (22), Valerie Gauvin (22) and Emelyne Laurent (20) some of the back-up options.
France are the big favourites to win Group A, although they are unlikely to stroll through all of their matches. Norway, Nigeria and their opening-day opponents South Korea will be intent on making their mark against the hosts:
South Korea made it to the World Cup after a fifth-placed finish at the Asian Cup, and under the guidance of Yoon Deokyeo, they have developed a reputation for being defensively robust. In Ji Soyun, they have an attacking star too, as she's established herself as one of the best players in the FA Women's Super League with Chelsea.
Even so, France are one of the premier outfits in this competition and with a raucous crowd behind them they have enough to take three points from this fixture.
Prediction: France 2-0 South Korea
