Andy Morgan
The final game of the day sees France take on South Korea in Leipzig, with South Korea surprisingly topping group F. They did qualify for the semi-finals on their home soil however and they are a major threat to a French team that were held to a 0-0 draw against battling Switzerland.
Switzerland were unlucky in that game against an impotent French side and many in France fear that this could be a repeat of the 2002 finals where Les Bleus were unable to score a single goal before being eliminated in the group stages.
To counteract their negative display against Switzerland, France are expected to revert to a more attacking 4-4-2 formation. With Arsenal's Thierry Henry and Juventus' David Trezuguet having sixty-two goals between them then they are certainly not light in attack.
However France coach Raymond Domenech is likely to start with Henry and Manchester United's Louis Saha. This is a gamble as although Saha has experience of European ties for his club, he is still yet to make double figures for his number of appearances for the French National side. His two goals already however bode well for his competence at international level and in a team that desperately need goals to appease the vitriol of the French press, don't count against him to score against the Koreans.
France need to as if they fail to score in this game, they have equalled the record for the number of consecutive World Cup games without scoring a goal, which was set at five by Bolivia in 1994. This would coincide with the longest winless run for the French in the World Cup, which was again five matches between 1966 and 1978.
The major piece of news regarding the French squad however is the return of influential Lyon midfielder Florent Malouda. Although inexperienced at this level (he only has ten caps) he is still seen as a focal player for his country. The French are hoping he can convert the impressive form he displayed for Lyon, helping them to win the French League by a massive sixteen points, into form for his country.
With already one goal to his name expect the twenty-five year old to become a future star for the French. Age is however their biggest problem, with seven of their squad the wrong side of thirty.
Zinedine Zidane, the hero of France's 1998 World Cup triumph has come out of retirement but did not look the player of old against Switzerland. Defensively they have William Thuram and Chelsea's William Gallas but short of match practice they struggled against the towering Swiss striker Alexander Frei. They do have experience and if they can forge a strong partnership then they should be able to contain the Koreans.
But with Manchester United's unpredictable Park Ji-Sung against them, the French defence will have to be on guard for the entire game and play far tighter than they did against the Swiss.
Korean manager Dick Advocaat is very wary of the French and is expecting a backlash in this game. He believes that everyone will expect a French win, despite their lethargy against Switzerland. This was largely due to the intense heat, which should have subsided for this evening kick-off.
However you feel the South Korean side will adapt to it better than the French and, if they play their game like Advocaat is advocating, they could make it difficult for the European side. Fear is not in the mindset of the Koreans, with striker Lee Chun-soo expressing his confidence that they could make in-roads against France.
The Koreans are likely to start with substitute Ahn Jung-hwan, who came off the bench and scored the winner against Togo. The MSV Duisburg striker now has seventeen goals and a goal-to-game ration of one in three and is surely a must for the Asian side. Cho Jae-jin is likely to be the player who is replaced.
Defensively South Korea are strong, with a mere seven goals conceded in qualifying. And indeed they will have to be to fight against the likes of Thierry Henry. Tottenham's Lee Young-Pyo could therefore be vital in the centre of defence and with eighty-three caps to his name he could be the cause for considerable frustration for the French fans.
This is a difficult one to predict but I expect that the South Koreans can get something out of this. Whether it is a draw or a win all depends on what mood Park Ji-Sung is in and whether the French defence can stand firm. Don't count on it.
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CLAIM £125 OF FREE BETS BY INVESTING £5.67
There's been some really great betting offers available for the World Cup but unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.
The best offer of the tournament is without a doubt Victor Chandler's free £60 bet but today is the last day that you can claim this. We've been playing with our calculators this morning and we've devised a method that allows you to claim the Victor Chandler free £60 bet and the Totesport
First of all, you will need to open accounts with Victor Chandler, Betfair
Then you will need to deposit the following amounts into your new accounts.
Deposit £40 into your Totesport
Deposit £105.87 into your Betfair
Deposit £60 into your Victor Chandler account.
You have temporarily laid out £205.87 but whatever the results of the matches we are about to bet on, you will get back a minimum of £200.20 PLUS £125 worth of free bets, which we can cash out for a good amount on the England v Sweden match on Tuesday.
Now you need to place the following bets.
Back Brazil to beat Australia at Totesport
Lay Brazil at Betfair
For the France v South Korea game, we are betting on the HALF-TIME result. Back the draw at Victor Chandler with £60 at odds of 6/4 (2.5).
Lay the draw at Betfair
As mentioned earlier, you will make a loss of £5.67 on the matches but you will end up with £125 in free bets which we can turn into cash on Tuesday.
If you already have accounts with these bookies, you cannot work this system as it hinges on the free bets that you earn for opening the accounts.
If you want need any help with making this bet, or with cashing the free bets out on Tuesday, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us by email or telephone - 01642 223229.
Good luck... not that you'll be needing it.
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