Germany vs France

July 5, 2016
By: Milos Markovic

Euro 2016 host nation France has finally hit their highest height with a comprehensive triumph in the quarter-finals against Iceland and will be keen to continue with impressive showings against the 2014 World Cup winners Germany.

Two major trophies on a trot?

Germany is on a mission. Die Mannschaft want to connect their World Cup title with one of a European Champion that is up for the taking, but Joachim Loew’s men will have to show serious improvement if they want to dispatch the in-form hosts and reach the Euro 2016 final. Germany will be looking to repeat their quarter-final result from the World Cup in 2014 when they defeated France, but this year’s competition brings different setting and different conditions that are likely to influence the outcome of the match. Joachim Loew’s men are not the same team we saw during their impressive rout in Brazil as Germany manager struggled to find the winning formula having seen several key performers retire from the national team. Die Mannschaft had plenty of problems prior to the European Championship finals as well, but it is well documented that Germans should never be discarded in advance. Hard fought triumph over Italy was a wakeup call for Loew’s side, who will need to raise the level of their performances, in the striking department in particular. Thomas Muller has had a quiet campaign so far, while Germany has been given a huge blow with the latest injury update.

Germany striker Mario Gomez has picked up an injury that rules him out of the tournament, while Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira are major doubts with their respective knocks. What is more, Mats Hummels is ruled out for the clash with France after picking up a yellow card against Italy and with that all being said Joachim Loew is facing a proper selection challenge.

Can France win it?

Les Bleus will find no better opportunity to win a major trophy after a 16-year wait than a competition at home soil. Led by fantastic support from the stands, French players have so far displayed great motivation, grit and determination to succeed at the tournament even when their performances were not at the expected level. A 5-2 win over tournament’s surprise packages Iceland was a timely boost for Didier Deschamps’ men, who now must negotiate a way past the world champions for the first time since 1958 in order to book their place in the final. The last time France and Germany met was at Stade de France in November 2015, in a game that was rocked by terrorist attack with three suicide bombers targeting the stadium and killing one outside the ground after failing to gain entry. France managed to win the game 2-0, but stakes are now a lot higher as teams go face to face in a competitive match that is of great importance for both sides. Didier Deschamps will be hoping his key performers will continue to show great form and in all honesty much will depend on how Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Dimitri Payet and Olivier Girour fare in the game.

France manager will be delighted to welcome back Adil Rami and N’Golo Kante back to the fold after these two sat out of the 5-2 victory over Iceland due to suspension. Deschamps is delighted that Arsenal striker Giroud has found his scoring boots and will welcome the fierce competition for places.

Verdict

Germany were forced to work hard to go past Italy and reach the semis after a penalty shootout, while France had a stroll in the park against resilient Iceland. Euro 2016 hosts are heading into their match versus Die Mannscaft in high spirits and we see great value in backing them to qualify to the tournament’s final match.

Top pick: France to qualify   1.95 (19/20) @BetFair

Alternative pick 1: France   2.8 (9/5) @Bet365

Alternative pick 2: Both teams to score – yes   2.05 (21/20) @BetVictor

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