'Australia are better than the USA' - France wary of Socceroos after draw with America

The Socceroos face an intimidating World Cup opener against France on June 16 in Kazan, but Didier Deschamps side are wary of a potential Australian upset.

After being held to a 1-1 draw with America in their final friendly before Russia, the Les Bleus now head to the World Cup aware they are far from invincible.

Australia meanwhile scraped to a 2-1 win over Hungary in their most recent match, and are now undefeated in their past three games. 

While the green and gold are at long odds of claiming a win on June 16, the French expect a greater challenge than what they experienced against the Americans.  

"This was reminiscent of Australia, but I think Australia are better than the USA," France defender Benjamin Pavard said after drawing the US.

"It's the same kind of context, a physical team, and they didn't need many chances to bury one.

"We'll retain the fact that we didn't lose, had we lost it we may have had some doubts.

"But we are now preparing for the game against Australia, which is coming up soon."

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Also in Group C are Denmark and Peru, with both teams finishing their World Cup preparations on mixed notes.

Tottenham star Christian Erikson inspired the Danes to a 2-0 win over Mexico with a goal and assist, while Peru were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw with Sweden.