France 2020 UEFA Euro Betting
The defending World Cup champions are one of the favorites to win the European Championships. France is currently the No. 2 ranked team in the world by the most recent FIFA rankings. Les Bleus are 8-2-1 in their 11 matches over the last year, and the only loss was a 2-0 defeat to Finland in a friendly back in November. France hasn’t been as dominant recently in World Cup qualifying with a 1-1 draw to Ukraine and a total of three goals against Kazakhstan and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the French have loads of talent.
France Squad Profile
UEFA Euro Odds: +500
Coach: Didier Deschamps
FIFA Ranking: 2
Best Finish: Champions
Group: D ( Portugal, Germany and Hungary )
How They Got Here
France ended up edging Turkey out in Group H despite losing 2-0 on the road and settling for a 1-1 draw at home. The French won their other eight games to claim the top spot in the group with an 8-1-1 record. However, they didn’t bag a lot of goals (25) despite playing iffy competition, so there are a few concerns about the attack.
Team Preview
Few nations have the attacking depth that France boasts up front. Olivier Giroud is the veteran of the unit with 107 caps and 44 goals for Les Bleus. Giroud falls in and out of favor with both the national team and Chelsea, so it’s hard to rely on him too much, but there are more talented options in Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann.
Mbappe has the most raw talent of the trio. We have seen him shine on the national and club level in bursts, leading to him being named the Best Young Player at the 2018 World Cup, but he has yet to put it all together consistently. Mbappe has the talent to be his generation’s brightest star, yet he has just 16 goals in 42 matches with France.
Griezmann has been the consistent performer of the trio. He was tied with Mbappe as the leading scorer for France at the last World Cup, and he has 35 goals in 89 matches. He was voted the Player of the Tournament at the last Euros, so we know that Griezmann rises to the occasion when it matters most.
The midfield isn’t as stacked as the front line, but it is still potent. Tottenham duo Tanguy Ndombele and Moussa Sissoko are a nice pair, and Paul Pogba can be a major playmaker in the right scheme. Thomas Lemar has been solid for Atletico Madrid, and N’Golo Kante is still an elite defensive midfielder.
This back line is led by Benjamin Pavard. Pavard impressed at the World Cup, and he is set to be the lynchpin of this defense for the next decade. Raphael Varane and Clement Lenglet are still solid, while Ferland Mendy is expected to be a contributor too.
France Schedule
GROUP STAGE
Tuesday June 15
France vs. Germany (Munich; 3 p.m. ET, 9 p.m.)
Saturday June 19
Hungary vs. France (Budapest; 9 a.m. ET, 3 p.m.)
Wednesday June 23
Portugal vs. France (Budapest; 3 p.m. ET, 9 p.m.)
France’s History at the European Championships
France hosted the very first European Championship in 1960, but the French lost both their games. Yugoslavia overcame a two-goal deficit with goals in the 75th, 78th, and 79th minute to stun the French in Paris, and they subsequently fell to Czechoslovakia in the third-place game. They didn’t return to the Euros until they hosted the event for a second time in 1984.
There was no doubt that France was the best team at the 1984 Euros. They won all of their Group Stage games, and they were only tested in the semifinals by Portugal. They answered that test with two goals in added time to beat the Portuguese before knocking off Spain 2-0 for their first European title.
The next Euro win came in 2000. France was coming off its first World Cu in 1998, so they were seen as one of the favorites. They overcame a loss to the Netherlands in the Group Stage to advance to the knockout rounds before going on to beat Spain, Portugal, and Italy. It wasn’t as easy this time though as the French needed golden goals to win those last two games.
Les Bleus finished runner-up to Portugal at the 2016 Euros. France was the tournament favorite as the host, and they looked strong in the knockout rounds until the final. Griezmann was brilliant against Germany, but France failed to score a goal in the final.
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