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Kylian Mbappe absolutely loves the World Cup.

It’s the first time in quite a few months that I've seen him play with a smile on his face, though any striker probably would if he had the likes of Olise and Dembele playing behind him.

Mbappe has scored six goals across his four starts at the World Cup, netting 2+ goals in three of his four matches and setting up two goals in the game where he didn’t find the back of the net.

He’s had 21 shots across these appearances (5.38 per 90), seeing 13 of them find the target (3.33 per 90).

This has been a World Cup defined by the individual performances of big-name players so far, and Mbappe can once again take centre stage in a game where I expect him to match his shot output across the tournament so far.

Paraguay are going to have to be as physical and aggressive as possible to stop this French side from finding gaps in their backline.

No side has picked up more yellow cards than Paraguay at the World Cup (9), with the South American side also averaging 13.3 fouls per game.

Matias Galaraza is a versatile player who has been playing off the left-hand side for Paraguay, but basically has just defensive instructions to lock down that side of the pitch.

He’s committed seven fouls across his three starts at the World Cup (2.11 per 90) and will now have to manage the duel threat of Olise and Dembele, who operate on that side of the pitch.

Galaraza also committed 18 fouls across his eight starts in the MLS during the most recent campaign (2.43 per 90), so this is clearly a consistent part of his game that should come to the fore here.

Olise and Dembele are winning 2.37 fouls per 90 between them at this World Cup, so there should be plenty for Galaraza to deal with.

When assessing Paraguay’s potential threats in this game, no player stands out more than Julio Enciso, who scored the opener against Germany last time out from three shots overall.

It’s clear that Enciso has quality, though Brighton fans would probably tell you that he doesn’t show his quality often enough. He’s capable of the spectacular, however, and that may be what Paraguay need if they are to find a way through this tie.

Enciso has taken eight shots across his four starts so far (2.21 per 90), which is an output that almost mirrors his shot volume for Strasbourg during the most recent Ligue 1 campaign (2.90 per 90).

France look unstoppable right now.

Their front four of Mbappe, Olise, Dembele, and Doue/Barcola is really well balanced and near impossible to keep a handle on. If you focus on stopping one, all it does is create space for another world-class attacker, so it’s hard to think of a way to stop this France attack.

Paraguay can be stubborn and should be confident, having already caused one of the biggest upsets in the tournament by knocking out Germany, but France will cause them real problems, and I think they find a way through at least twice.

France have scored 3+ goals in all four of their World Cup matches so far, conceding just twice across these games as well. They’ll be applying pressure to Paraguay from the very first whistle, and their individual quality should be able to find a way through what is expected to be a very deep and low block.

France are averaging exactly 6.00 corners per game at the World Cup so far, having at least five corners in 75% of their matches.

I do think France find a way to win this game quite comfortably, but it may take a lot of probing to find that opening goal as Paraguay are very organised at the back and will shut off central areas, forcing France out wide to build their attacks.

This was the case for France against Sweden last time out; it took Deschamps’ side until the 45th minute to open the scoring through Kylian Mbappe in a game that saw them rack up nine corners.

Ousmane Dembele has struggled on the international stage in the past, but looks to have put those issues behind him with four goals and two assists at the World Cup so far across just four starts.

Didier Deschamps deserves serious credit for how he’s set up this France attack. I was a bit worried about the balance of having three superstars like Olise, Mbappe, and Dembele in the same frontline, but he’s made it work by moving Olise centrally and allowing Dembele to stay wide and cut inside onto his dangerous left foot.

Dembele has scored 36% of his total goals for France in this tournament, which highlights how tough he has found it previously in a French shirt but also shows how he’s now relishing playing with Mbappe and Olise. He’s France’s second most likely goal scorer behind Mbappe, who is much shorter to score here.

If you’ve been following my picks regularly for the World Cup, then you’ll know I like a bit of a moan about referees and the volume of cards we’ve seen at this tournament - and I’m going to do it again.

The referees have been far too lenient. I like some of the new rules that are in place, but there have been multiple instances where yellow-card-worthy challenges have gone unpunished.

I’m hoping that changes now we’re into the business end of the World Cup, and despite the leniency we’ve seen, Paraguay have collected the most yellow cards of any side so far (9), so they should be one of the better nations to back for cards.

Juan Caceres was booked in Paraguay's opening game against the USA and has committed eight fouls across his four matches at the World Cup (2.06 per 90). He plays his domestic football for Dinamo Moscow, picking up eight yellow cards across his 23 starts with a foul average of 1.96 fouls committed per 90.

I see Enciso as being Paraguay’s only real threat in this contest, and his willingness to take on speculative efforts makes him worth backing for a shot on target in this clash.

Paraguay will be limited from open play, but in Enciso, they have a player who will be willing to stretch the French backline and run beyond, which may cause a few small problems for Upamecano and Saliba in transition.

Enciso scored against Germany last time out from three shots overall, and has had eight shots at the World Cup so far (2.21 per 90). He needs to be a bit more accurate with these efforts, but he did average 1.05 shots on target per 90 for Strasbourg during the most recent campaign, as well as 1.24 shots on target per 90 during qualifying.

Paraguay are going to make this a real battle, and Adrian Rabiot is likely to get caught up in that as France’s main midfield enforcer.

Many question why Rabiot is even in the France starting lineup given the talent that Deschamps has at his disposal, but Rabiot is very good at giving the team a bit of structure and acting as a physical presence just behind the talented frontline.

Rabiot committed four fouls against Sweden last time out, taking his overall tally to seven for the tournament (2.33 per 90). He’ll be tasked with keeping an eye on Paraguay in transition, and may have to make a few tactical fouls as he did in the last round.