Euro2012 – France vs England – Drawing Blanc?
By David, bettingexpert.com | Published
The debut of two nations which can truly be the dark horses of the tournament. They are in fact priced as fourth and fifth favourites to make it all the way but both will have to resolve issues of theirs if they are to make their claim a serious one.
France – England Odds: Euro 2012
On the right are odds for the match between France and England, which will remain visible right until kick off.
France – England Preview: Euro 2012
All the friendly matches these teams played in the past weeks were won. England played two and France three. Opposition was not that poor but one cannot claim they were easy opponents either. The characteristics that emerged from those were the ease with which France get their goals and the difficulty with which England find theirs.
Hodgson does have a problem in not being able to field Rooney. Welbeck is surely not a worthy replacement but he is more of a striker than Rooney is actually. This still does not mean England will be better off without the Liverpool-born forward. They need his quality but will have to learn how to live without that for the two toughest matches of their group.
Blanc’s France is definitely the most difficult of opponents. Just like England they have had to go through some restructuring. In fact, they did make more changes than the English had to and theirs were more gradual. Unlike Hodgson, Blanc has been in charge for a very long time now and he seems to have found a very good setup for his nation’s squad. Attacking football is important for him, but he does not forget about his defence. As a defender he knows how to place his men well too. Nonetheless, in most of their matches France have betrayed a weakness in holding out opposition in midfield.
As for England they have definitely been the hardest hit by injuries ahead of the tournament. Lampard, Barry, Bent, Wilshere, Cahill and Ruddy would have been part of this squad were it not for injuries. Their manager is also the most recently appointed of all those of the sixteen nations involved and he has had to deal with all of this havoc already.
The Three Lions are still a tough proposition though. The midfield, in particular, has been weakened but what the Premier League has produced in the past years makes it easier for Hodgson to find replacements of calibre.
France – England injury news: Euro 2012
M’Vila is the big headache for Blanc. And it is a big miss if he is actually forced to sit the game out. He is the player who does make the difference in midfield for a team which has often fallen due to not being able to close down the gaps that open up frequently in the middle of the park.
Hodgson’s worries will centre around the team’s difficulty with finding the net. Within this context Rooney’s absence will make itself felt against the toughest side they will face in this group. Defoe, whose father died and therefore had to leave the English training camp for a few days, has returned and made himself available.
France – England Betting: Euro 2012
In terms of preparation France have a clear edge. England notoriously don’t start well. Otherwise they won’t complicate matters unnecessarily for no reason as they like doing. It still is tough game to call but in this situation I can see Hodgson going for a cautious approach. Blanc has trained his men to go for the opponents’ jugular though and eventually I can see Ribery, Benzema and co. finding a goal they could have very well deserved.
Verdict: France 0:0
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