France will continue in their quest to reach a third successive World Cup final when they meet Paraguay in the Round of 16 on Saturday. The winners of this tie will face whoever comes out on top in the match between Canada and Morocco taking place four hours earlier.France have looked unplayable at times and this match looks like a case of how many they will win by, rather than if they will win.As a result of their impressive performances, there is no value in a bet on France to win, or even on Kylian Mbappe to score. So instead I’ve put together a three-leg bet builder that avoids these markets but still offers great value at 4.06/1.Top choice bet builderParaguay to receive the most cards – 8/13 with Paddy PowerMichael Olise to assist – 6/4 with Paddy PowerFrance to score over 2.5 goals – Evens with Paddy PowerParaguay vs France match detailsDate: Saturday, July 4, 2026Kick-off: 10pm BSTVenue: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Stadium), Philadelphia, USACompetition: FIFA World Cup Round of 16TV channel: BBC1 and BBC iPlayerOur 4.06/1 Bet Builder: Paraguay to receive the most cards, Michael Olise to assist, France to score over 2.5 goalsParaguay are in for a tough night when they come up against France. I expect this bet builder to win, as I feel the South Americans will have no option but to resort to gamesmanship to try and stop their in-form opponents. Michael Olise looks to be playing on another level at the moment. His combinations with Mbappe look unstoppable, making a bet on him to assist again almost a no-brainer at odds against. And finally, France have scored three or more in every match they have played so far and I can’t see that changing against a Paraguay team who required penalties to pull off a shock win over an underwhelming Germany team.Paraguay to receive the most cards – 8/13 with Paddy PowerMichael Olise to assist – 6/4 with Paddy PowerFrance to score over 2.5 goals – Evens with Paddy PowerParaguay vs France bet builder breakdownParaguay to receive the most cardsWhy: France’s front four were rampant against Sweden. At times it looked like the Swedes just wanted to get out of the match with their pride intact. They were totally given the runaround by Mbappe and his fellow forwards.Stat: Paraguay will have to find a way to stop France. Defensive tactics alone probably aren’t going to work, and one or two of their players are going to have to take one for the team. I expect their bookings count to be higher than the two they received against Germany, who didn’t really put the South Americans under any pressure. Bet on Paraguay to receive the most cards at 8/13 with Paddy Power Michael Olise to provide an assistWhy: Michael Olise has taken his club form into international football. He provided 21 assists in 32 Bundesliga matches for Bayern Munich last season and he has continued creating chances for France at the World Cup. Stat: Olise already leads the World Cup for assists. Unlike Bruno Fernandes of Portugal for example, Olise has three strikers ahead of him who are deadly in front of goal. It’s one thing creating chances, but to get an assist, the player on the end of the chance has to score. It won’t be a problem for Olise with this French team. Bet on Michael Olise to provide an assist at 6/4 with Paddy Power France to score over 2.5 goalsWhy: Sweden will probably count themselves lucky not to have lost by more than the three goals they did in the Round of 32. Such was the dominance of France and the amount of chances they created, it could have been 3-0 at half-time, never mind by full-time.Stat: France had 25 efforts at goal against Sweden with 13 on target. They are just all out attacking and even if Paraguay does manage a goal, they will still get overrun. France should have no problem scoring at least three if they continue to create chances at that ratio. Bet on France to score over 2.5 goals at evens with Paddy Power How to place Paraguay vs France bet builderIf you need help placing your bet builder, then follow these simple steps below: Open your Paddy Power app and navigate to the World Cup sectionFind the match between Paraguay and France. It will be showing under Saturday’s fixturesClick on the Bet Builder and add Paraguay to receive the most cards, Michael Olise to assist anytime and France to score over 2.5 goals (they are listed as the away team).The combined odds of 4.06/1 should be showing on your bet slip along with our three selections. Take a moment to make sure all three of your selections are correctly showing and you have entered the correct stake before hitting the submit button. Don’t forget to check out our World Cup betting offers as well. The bookmakers listed on this page offer bet builders and you can expect to see plenty more World Cup betting promotions as the competition enters its latter stages.Stats that matter for your betParaguay to receive the most cards: Paraguay had just 25 percent possession against Germany and picked up two cards. It’s likely France will have around the same amount of the ball as Germany did, but they will use it far quicker and more effectively, which should result in more fouls. Michael Olise to assist anytime: Olise has already provided five assists in the competition and is averaging 2.2 big chances per game. With Mbappe and company ahead of him, assists don’t necessarily have to come from big chances either. It can be a simple cross or hopeful pass finished off by a moment of magic.France to score over 2.5 goals: France have scored 13 goals in four matches at the World Cup. They’ve scored three or more in all four of their matches. Paraguay should be no match for France’s firepower and we expect the South Americans to get overrun.Additional information: Despite the reputation of nations like Brazil, it is France who have been the most successful team in the World Cup over the past 20 years. Les Bleus have made it to three of the past five finals. Why we are backing this bet builderFrance look too powerful for everyone except Argentina and Spain, with England, Morocco, Portugal and Brazil possibly capable of causing them problems. The rest of the nations remaining in the competition look two or three levels below Didier Deschamps’ team.The 2022 beaten finalists should be able to get past Paraguay without too many problems, but they are too short to back at 1/7. This bet builder makes more sense because if France win, they are likely to score three or more goals. Michael Olise is a great value bet to provide an assist as he only has to lay a ball off to someone like Mbappe who can create a goal out of nothing, and the Bayern winger is far better odds to assist than Mbappe is to score.The final leg of this bet is for Paraguay to receive more cards. I felt they could have got more than they did against Germany, and it was only really German frustration that resulted in the Europeans also picking up two cards. France won’t have the same problems as Germany did and if they can avoid the bait, they should pick up fewer cards than the South Americans who may have to resort to desperate means to stop Deschamps’ side.All three of these legs combined are 4.06/1 and I believe all have a great chance of winning.Paraguay vs France oddsParaguay pulled off a huge shock in the Round of 32 with their win over Germany on penalties. The South Americans were the outsiders against the 2014 champions, and they are even bigger underdogs to beat France.Gustavo Alfaro’s team are 17/1 to win the match in 90 minutes and 10/1 to qualify by any method. No prizes for guessing that France are the favourites to win the match. They are 1/7 to win in normal time and 1/25 to qualify for the next round by any method. The draw is 6/1, while the match is 8/1 to be decided in extra-time and 14/1 to be won on penalties.Paraguay to win – 17/1 with BetVictorDraw – 6/1 with bet365France to win – 1/7 with Sky BetParaguay vs France match prediction and line-upsFrance have so far coasted to the Round of 16 with four straight wins. Didier Deschamps’ team won their group with victories over Senegal (3-1), Iraq (3-0) and Norway (4-1). In their Round of 32 clash they were a class above the Swedes, beating Graham Potter’s team 3-0 with sensational performances from Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise.Paraguay qualified for the knockout stages by finishing third in Group D on four points. They lost their opening match 4-1 to the USA, before beating Turkey 1-0 and drawing 0-0 with Australia.Alfaro’s team then came up against an average German side in the Round of 32, eventually winning the tie on penalties after a scrappy match finished 1-1.Unfortunately for Paraguay, France are a significant step up in class to Germany and this is where their competition should come to an end. France could win this with ease, I’m going for a 3-0 win for Deschamps’ team.Prediction: France 3-0 ParaguayMichael Olise to assistKylian Mbappe to score twoParaguay predictions: Omar Alderete is likely to miss out again for Paraguay, with Jose Canale set to fill in at centre-back in his absence. Diego Gomez is available after suspension and should slot back into midfield. The South Americans usually play a 4-3-3 system, but they may go a bit more defensive against France.Predicted XI: Gill; Caceres, G. Gomez, Canale, Alonso; Galarza, Cubas, D. Gomez; Almiron, Avalos, Enciso.France predictions: France are likely to stick with the same team that comprehensively dismantled Sweden.The only question mark may be who joins Dembele and Olise in attack behind Mbappe. Bradley Barcola got the nod against Sweden, but Desire Doue is an option. Whichever of the PSG duo starts, France will stick to their trusted 4-2-3-1 system.Predicted XI: Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele, Olise, Barcola; Mbappe.World Cup 2026 AI predictionsWorld Cup 2026 Top goalscorer oddsEngland to win World Cup 2026 oddsWorld Cup 2026: Best young player oddsAbout the authorDean EtheridgeDean Etheridge is an experienced freelance sports betting writer who specialises in football, cricket, and darts, with a keen focus on the Premier League and Champions League, as well as in-depth coverage of Premier League Darts and major tournaments. He can turn his hand to all aspects of the beautiful game and beyond, delivering expert analysis across a range of sports. He predominantly covers the Premier League and Champions League but can turn his hand to all aspects of the beautiful game. You can follow Dean on LinkedIn (@deanetheridge)Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply.Remember to gamble responsiblyA responsible gambler is someone who:Establishes time and monetary limits before playingOnly gambles with money they can afford to loseNever chase their lossesDoesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressedGamcare – www.gamcare.org.ukFind our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.