UEFA Euro qualifiers | France vs Greece
On 19th June 2023 18:45 (UTC), the UEFA Euro qualifiers continue with a match between France and Greece. Will France be able to secure a victory on home turf, or will Greece play as the underdogs and come out with a win?
France
Currently ranked 2nd in the world, France has won all three group stage matches, scoring 8 goals and conceding 0 goals. They sit at the top of the group standings. In their previous match against Gibraltar, France took a 2-0 lead in the first half with goals from Giroud and a penalty by Mbappe. They maintained control of the game in the second half and extended their lead to 3-0 with an own goal from Gibraltar's Emmanuel Muller in the 78th minute. The match ended with a comfortable 3-0 victory for France. With an impressive record of 8 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in their last 10 matches, France is currently on a 7-match unbeaten streak. Can they continue their unbeaten run against Greece?
Key Points:
History: The French Football Association was established in 1919. The French national team has been participating in international competitions since 1904. They have reached the World Cup final four times, winning the title twice. They have also won the European Championship twice and the FIFA Confederations Cup twice.
Coach: The head coach of the French team is Didier Deschamps. Deschamps helped the French team win the World Cup as a player in 1998 and as a coach in 2018. He has been coaching the French team since 2012 and led them to the runners-up position in the 2016 European Championship.
Recent form: The French team has won all three group stage matches, leading Group B with 9 points.
Squad: The current national team includes several talented players such as Kylian Mbappe, N'Golo Kante, Antoine Griezmann, and Ousmane Dembele. Mbappe scored 29 goals this season, winning the Ligue 1 Golden Boot. Kante and Dembele were also top scorers in their respective leagues. Additionally, the team has many other attacking talents like Kingsley Coman, Karim Benzema, Olivier Giroud, and Antoine Griezmann.
Injuries: N'Golo Kante and Paul Pogba have withdrawn from the national team squad due to injuries.
Greece
Ranked 52nd in the world, Greece has won both of their group stage matches, scoring 5 goals and conceding 1 goal. They sit in 2nd place in the group standings. In their previous match against Ireland, Greece took an early 1-0 lead in the 15th minute through a penalty. However, Ireland equalized in the 27th minute with a goal from Collins, and the first half ended in a 1-1 draw. In the 49th minute of the second half, Greece's Giorgos Masouras scored to give his team a 2-1 lead, which they held onto until the end of the match. Greece secured a 2-1 victory over Ireland. With a record of 6 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses in their last 10 matches, Greece is currently unbeaten in their last 3 matches. Can they extend their unbeaten run in their away match against France?
Key Points:
History: Greece won the UEFA European Championship in 2004, only their second participation in the tournament. They reached the quarter-finals of the 2012 European Championship and the Round of 16 in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. During that period, they achieved a place in the top 20 of the FIFA World Rankings and reached a historical high ranking of 8th in April to June 2008 and October 2011.
Coach: The head coach of the Greek national team is Angelos Anastasiadis, a former Uruguayan professional player. He played as a midfielder and had a brief spell at River Plate. He then played for Real Zaragoza for seven years, winning the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. As a coach, he has worked with Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, Shanghai Shenhua, and Bordeaux. He took charge of the Greek national team in February 2022.
Players: Greece's most prominent player is Timotheos, who plays for Liverpool in the English Premier League. Additionally, players like Mavropanos, a defender from Stuttgart, and Vlachodimos, a goalkeeper from Benfica, have been called up to the Greek national team.
Ranking: Greece is currently ranked 51st in the world. In a recent friendly match, Greece was held to a 0-0 draw by Lithuania, indicating average performance.
In their last 10 matches, Greece has only had two significant victories, scoring one goal and conceding seven goals. Their playing style is highly defensive.
Overall Analysis
There is a significant gap in overall strength between the two teams, but Greece also possesses decent overall strength, especially in their attacking prowess. France, on the other hand, is a top team in both defense and offense. In their previous match, they were unable to score many goals. However, for this match, it is expected that there will be more than 3 goals between the two teams.
Mr. Chip's Pick is that there will be 3 goals or more scored in this match up!