#BinancePickAndWin
I have a stronger inclination toward France, mainly for these reasons:
​ France enters the knockout stage in a stronger form. ​ FIFA’s pre-tournament preview states that France topped Group I with a clear advantage, scoring 10 goals in total in the group stage, which shows their attacking efficiency and match control. (fifa.com)
​ France’s overall squad is still stronger than Sweden’s. ​ FIFA describes this matchup as France going up against Sweden “with momentum.” Considering their background as 2018 World Cup champions and 2022 World Cup runners-up, France has advantages in squad depth, game-changing bursts at key positions, and experience in major tournaments. (fifa.com)
​ Sweden isn’t without a chance. ​ FIFA’s coverage of this match indicates that Sweden emerged from the race for knockout-stage qualification, and that this is also the first time the two sides have met at a World Cup in 96 years—so the storyline is compelling. As a Nordic team, Sweden typically plays tough in the knockout stage and has strong execution, so I don’t really see France winning comfortably by a large margin. (fifa.com)
My score predictions
​ First choice: France 2-1 Sweden
​ Second choice: France 2-0 Sweden
​ Upset: 1-1 (if they’re more cautious in regular time) (fifa.com)