France travel to Ireland as favorites

The vice world champion is the favorite in the European Championship qualifying group B and therefore also the big favorite in the duel against Ireland. Only an away win counts for the guests in this game. Ireland won't calculate too much but can play without pressure. Despite the clear distribution of roles, a tip on an away win is quite lucrative.

The guests from France have probably been the best and most consistent national team in the world over the last few years. 2nd time in a row they made it to the final at a World Cup. It is therefore only logical that they are also among the big favorites at the European Championships. But first they have to qualify. This shouldn't be a problem for France, even if they have a second strong opponent in the group with the Netherlands. 

Of course, the game against Ireland has to be won. It is also clear that France has the pressure on their side, while Ireland can play freely and have nothing to lose. The 3rd place in the group would be a success, even if only the first two places really count.

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Ireland is improving

Coach Stephen Kenny did not have an easy start as Ireland manager, failing to win any of his first 11 caps. 7 of these first 11 games were lost.However, the coach managed the turnaround and the results got better. In the following 20 games only 5 defeats were conceded and they got at least 9 wins in this time. Ireland have thus won almost half of their last 20 games. 

For Ireland, France will therefore primarily be a game to learn. Even a draw would be a huge sensation. Ireland can also play freely without pressure. At least they managed to win this year, beating Latvia 3-2 at home a few days ago. For the hosts it was the 2nd win in a row and the 3rd in the last 4 international matches. The only defeat in this period came at home against Norway.

Qualifying for the EM 2024 would also be a great success because Ireland has only made it to a final round 3 times and has done so since 1960. The golden years were certainly from 2012 to 2016, where they made it to the 2nd consecutive year finals made.In 2016 they even reached the round of 16 and thus survived the group stage. In the KO phase, however, they had to admit defeat to France in the first round. For the EM 2021 they could not qualify successfully again. Although they made it into the playoffs via the Nations League, they failed on penalties against Slovakia. Ireland was also absent from the 2022 World Cup. In general, they haven't made it to a World Cup finals since 2002.

Ireland has been hoping for a real goal-getter for years. While the team often knows how to convince on the defensive, and this is mainly due to the toughness of the English, it has always been extremely difficult on the offensive. Ireland simply lack the quality on offense. So it's not very surprising that under coach Stephen Kenny they only scored 39 goals in 31 games. But even here the team could improve. In the last 7 games they have at least managed to win at least once. In 3 games they even managed to score 3 goals. In the last 7 home games they have only failed to score once and that was in the narrow 1-0 loss against Ukraine.

Now, with Evan Ferguson, they seem to have a real storm talent again. The 18-year-old already gained his first experience with Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League and has now also scored in his first international match. He was allowed to play from the start and ensured the important 1:0 in the 3:2 win against Latvia. It's probably no secret that he will also be in the starting line-up in the game against France.

France aiming the Euro

France has already won the European Championship for the second time, the last time they did so was in 2000. They reached the final at the home European Championship in 2016, but ultimately had to admit defeat to the Portuguese. At the last European Championship so far in 2021, it was already over in the round of 16. There, the big favorite had to admit defeat to the Swiss on penalties, completely surprisingly. For the EM 2024 they want to be prepared again. The first step is a successful qualification. In a group with the Netherlands, first place is not set in stone, which is why they have to win games against supposedly smaller opponents. The away game in Ireland is one such game to win.

France has one of the best squads in the world and coach Didier Deschamps is spoiled for choice in every game. In the first game against the Netherlands we are counting on the best eleven, but there could already be one or the other change in the second game against Ireland.Players could also be used who otherwise do not get to play as often. First and foremost we think of Randal Kolo Muani or Marcus Thuram. But the two debutants Jean Clair Todibo and Khephren Thuram could also be used for the first time. Kylian Mbappe will probably lead the team back onto the field as captain. One of Deschamps' favorites is Antoine Griezmann, who is considered the coach's absolute favorite player. With 42 goals in 117 international matches, he is also one of the most successful players in the French squad.

The national team didn't always take it easy in 2022, especially in the UEFA Nations League they had big problems. This was also due to the fact that they often fell short of expectations away from home. They couldn't even win a single away game in the Nations League. In addition to a defeat against Denmark, the games against Austria and Croatia only ended with a draw. Since then, France have not played a real away game. In 2022, France remained completely without an away win. The last one was celebrated against Finland in mid-November 2021.

The French have a very good record against Ireland, despite losing 4 out of 17 games against them. The last defeat happened in 1981. Since then, France have been unbeaten in 7 consecutive games. They have won 4 of their last 7 games. The last duel so far in 2018 was also won 2-0. It was a friendly game. For the Equipe Tricolore it was the 2nd win in a row against Ireland. However, this duel often ends with rather few goals. Only once in the last 7 games has more than 2.5 goals been scored. In 4 games only one goal was scored in the game.

Ireland - France: What to expect? 

Ireland go into the match against France as clear underdogs. The French could rotate a bit, but we're clearly assuming an away win. The Irish will try to keep the zero for as long as possible. France finds it difficult to score goals on the island, as recent direct duels have shown us. A tip for more than 1.5 goals should still be worthwhile. As a risk tip, we would probably bet on a clean sheet victory for France.

• France to win to nil (risk)
• France to win
• Over 1.5

* All odds and markets are correct at time of publication and subject to change.