Football Accumulator Tips: Les Bleus worth backing in today’s five-fold

World Cup action returns today, with 2018 winners France taking on the controversial victors of the AFCON; Morocco. Elsewhere, there is European qualifying action and some intriguing friendly games to take in.

Get the lowdown on the games that belong on your betslip with the Thursday Football Accumulator tips.

France to beat Morocco @ 4/7

France are my picks to win the whole Coupe de Monde shebang this summer. Kylian Mbappe is turning in another tournament performance worthy of his lofty status in the game. Michael Olise is loading the bullets for an attack that also features the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola.

Morocco are a resolute tournament side. They have just won the AFCON, albeit in controversial circumstances. They also reached the semi-finals in 2022. This side knows what they are doing. But it won’t be enough I feel. Mbappe and Les Bleus will see to that.

CSKA Sofia to beat Derry City @ 2/9

Bulgarian Cup holders CSKA Sofia welcome Tiernan Lynch’s side in the first leg of the initial qualifying round for  the Europa League.

Derry City sit fifth in the League of Ireland currently, having qualified for continental competition with a second-placed finish last term. 

Sofia have won three of four friendlies in the close-season. They look well-equipped to do a job on Derry in this one.

Football Odds

FC Union Berlin to beat Chemnitzer FC @ 1/7

The Bundesliga side finished 11th last term, with Marie-Louise Eta steering them as interim manager between March and May. In doing so she became the first woman to manage a men’s team in Europe’s top five leagues.

Eta was always contracted to take the reins of Union’s women’s side this season, so the men’s role has gone to Mauro Lustrinelli. The former Sparta Prague striker won the Swiss league with Thun last term and he comes in riding that momentum.

German fourth-tier side Chemnitzer are unlikely to disrupt the rebuild too much in this contest.

Dynamo Kyiv to beat Universitatea Cluj @ 2/5

The record 17-time Ukrainian champions slipped to fourth last season, having won the 2024/25 domestic title. Dynamo find themselves in the early rounds of Europa League qualification at a time when they are accustomed to playing Champions League qualifiers.

Opponents Universitatea were runners-up in the Romanian top tier last term. Journeyman coach Cristiano Bergodi is getting a tune out of The Red Caps, but Dynamo should win this match fairly comfortably given the relative strengths of these sides.

FK RFS to beat Glentoran @ 4/6

The Glens finished third in the NIFL last term and have competed in Europe on dozens of occasions. But despite a continental history stretching back to 1962, the East Belfast boys have never reached the group stage of a European competition.

Rigas Futbola Skola, better known as FK RFS, are three-time Latvian league champions. They currently sit top of the table in their domestic competition. I think winning is a habit and RFS will prove that against Glentoran.