Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger names his favourites to win World Cup

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has picked out France as his favourites to win the World Cup.

France breezed through qualifying to secure their spot at this summer’s spectacle, picking up five wins and one draw from their six contests en route to the finals.

Didier Deschamps’ side are preparing to face Senegal in just under a week’s time at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, where they will begin their quest to lift the trophy for a third time in the country’s history after victories in 1998 and 2018.

Also grouped with Iraq and Norway, the French find themselves as the overwhelming favourites to top Group I and progress through to the knockout phase of the tournament.

All the World Cup action

Get everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day. Sign up here.

Deschamps captained France to their first-ever World Cup triumph 28 years ago and Les Bleus have now featured in four of the last seven finals, with the 57-year-old involved in three of those showpieces. 

He will no doubt be desperate to get his hands on the trophy for a third time next month – and Wenger is confident his fellow countrymen have every chance of going all the way once again. 

‘I put them above the others. France have so much talent and Deschamps has experience,’ the ex-Arsenal boss told Le Figaro.

‘We have so many attacking players that the danger is being a little unbalanced offensively.

‘But today, the modern player, even an attacking one, knows how to do his share of the defensive work.

‘When you’re 0-0 against France with 20 minutes to go, you lose the match. Power makes the difference.’

Despite scoring 42 goals in all competitions, it proved a difficult second season for Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid, with reports of dressing room unrest dominating the Spanish backpages towards the back-end of the campaign.

But the superstar forward will no doubt be itching to get back out on the pitch to silence his critics over the coming weeks having finished UEFA qualifying as the third-highest scorer with nine goals to his name.

‘There’s one man who is at the centre of all expectations: Kylian Mbappe,’ Wenger said of the attacker, who won the World Cup aged just 19 back in 2018.

‘I’m ready to bet on it, he’s going to have a fantastic World Cup.

‘He’s been unfairly criticised often this season. He landed in an average Real Madrid team. Real has three or four world-class players. Before, they had ten.

‘Football is such that you always need a scapegoat. He’s become that [at Real Madrid].’

According to Wenger, Mbappe’s lack of minutes across an injury-hit season could be a blessing in disguise for France.

‘Kylian has everything it takes to have a great World Cup. He’s physically fresh, he’s not overworked,’ he added.

‘I’ve seen players with 60 matches under their belts before the World Cup tell me, “I’m not making any progress in training and I have nothing left in my legs,’ but he’s not like that.

‘There are international players who arrive completely exhausted. I haven’t seen many players have a great World Cup after a Champions League final.

‘Besides, Kylian has character, a strong personality, and he knows how to rise to the occasion in big moments. He’s waiting for his opportunity.

‘People tend to forget his exceptional talent.’

Speaking to The Guardian this week, Deschamps made it clear that he and France’s squad would be embracing their status as one of the most fancied teams in the tournament.

‘We’re among the favourites,’ he explained.

‘It isn’t a taboo word for me. If we have this status today, which seems logical and legitimate to me, it’s because of everything that we have done, the results we achieved.’

The France head coach added: ‘Abroad there is perhaps more recognition.

‘I know very well, since I also travel a lot abroad, that the feeling abroad is different from the one in France.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.