France vs Greece. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more
France will host Greece in the UEFA EURO 2024 Qualification match of Group B at Stade de France. The fixture will take place on Tuesday, June 20, beginning at 00:15 IST.
What can we expect this Tuesday night? Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.
France News & Current Form:
The French national team has no problem cruising through the qualifying rounds for the European Championship. The finalists of the last FIFA World Cup not only have not lost any points in the first three rounds, but they have not conceded any goals. The vice champions are top of their group after three rounds, with a maximum score of 9 points.
For starters, they showed their strength by beating their main rival – the Netherlands (4 – 0). By the 21st minute, their opponents had three goals, while a total of four unanswered goals were scored (Mbappe’s double, accurate shots by Antoine Griezmann and Dayot Upamecano). The French were less prolific next, with Ireland getting just one goal from Benjamin Pavard.
In their first match in June, Didier Deschamps’ side beat Gibraltar 3 – 0 on the road without any apparent problems. Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappe scored goals and the home side netted one more. The French could have scored more, but they converted less than 10% of their shots on goal (three of 32 shots).
Olivier Giroud continues to be his side’s top scorer, and in his match against Gibraltar, he equalled Thierry Henry in terms of the number of games played – both now have 123. Only Hugo Lloris and Lilian Thuram are ahead of the AC Milan striker.
The Qatar World Cup finalist is still being led by the experienced Didier Deschamps. There have been rumors that he could be replaced by Zinedine Zidane in the near future. However, the former Real Madrid CF coach has said that now is not the time.
That could be the case, as the Blues are going through a difficult period. Some key, experienced players, in particular Hugo Lloris, have left after the tournament in Qatar. Deschamps has decided that Kylian Mbappe, who proved himself to be a true leader at the 2022 World Cup, should take charge of the French national team.
Oliver Giroud – top scorer of the French national football team, for which he has 123 appearances
Except that Mbappe is in trouble. He has refused to renew his contract with Paris Saint-Germain, which has led to a conflict. The club management are interested in selling him. The uncertainty of the future will surely affect the young striker’s mood. However, this is far from the first time he has had to face pressure.
On this occasion, Deschamps noted that Kylian is always in the news. The coach said that the forward spends time with his partners and has no problems. Notably, Mbappe recently agreed to take part in the Olympics. It seems that he has decided to concentrate fully on the international stage.
In three qualifying rounds, Mbappe has scored three goals and provided one assist. Will he be able to score in the upcoming meeting? Greece has long established itself as an uncomfortable opponent. In the eight rounds of qualification for the 2022 World Cup, they have only lost to Sweden (0 – 2) and Spain (0 – 1).
The last meeting between Greece and France was held in 2006, two years after the Greek team won UEFA EURO 2004. Back then, they were very competitive: even in the championship itself, they knocked out the Tri-Colours with Henri, David Trezeguet, Zidane and other stars in the quarter-finals.
RC Lens goalkeeper Brice Samba made his highly-anticipated debut for the senior France team on Friday night. This opportunity arose when AC Milan’s Mike Maignan suffered a calf injury during training, casting doubt on his availability for Monday’s game. As a result, Samba can now feel confident about retaining the goalkeeper position.
Furthermore, manager Deschamps had to cope with the absence of Ferland Mendy and Adrien Rabiot due to injuries in the previous victory over Gibraltar, but the French team emerged unscathed from that three-goal success.
In the previous match, Wesley Fofana of Chelsea FC also impressed football fans, earning his first cap for France and potentially securing his spot ahead of Dayot Upamecano. However, Jules Kounde remains an alternative to Benjamin Pavard on the right-hand side.
Greece News & Current Form:
The Greeks have played two matches in the qualifying round so far, in which they also reached the maximum score and are unexpectedly second in the group with six points.
Like the French, the Greeks defeated Gibraltar 3 – 0 away in March and beat Ireland 2 – 1 at home in the previous round. Anastasios Bakasetas and Giorgos Masouras netted the winning goals for the hosts.
After the World Cup in Qatar, the Greeks changed their head coach. Uruguayan Gustavo Poyet took over. Under his guidance, in six games in the UEFA Nations League, the team lost only to Cyprus (0 – 1), away. The Greeks were victorious in all other encounters.
With France and the Netherlands in the group, Poyet’s team will have a tough time qualifying for the European Championships. It will be a miracle if the Greeks score at least one goal in the upcoming match. Almost all of their players at club level play in the local league, which is not at a high level.
So, no matter how good a team football Poyet’s men display, their quality and technique will hardly be enough to trouble one of the strongest and most successful teams in the world.
Captain of the Greek national football team – Anastasios Bakasetas
In the closing moments of Greece’s victory over Ireland, midfielder Petros Mantalos appeared to be substituted due to an unspecified injury. The severity of the 31-year-old’s condition is currently unknown. This presents an additional concern for manager Poyet, who already had to cope with the absence of Andreas Bouchalakis in the previous match.
Furthermore, Dimitris Giannoulis, the left-back from Norwich City FC, was also notably absent from that successful game. If both Bouchalakis and Mantalos are unable to participate, the defensive-minded Manolis Siopis is likely to step in and fill the midfield gap.
France form guide: W-W-L-W-W-W
Greece form guide: W-D-L-W-D-W
France vs Greece Head-To-Head Record:
| France | Draw | Greece |
| 1 | 0 | 1 |
- June 25, 2004: France 0 – 1 Greece (UEFA EURO);
- November 15, 2006: France 1 – 0 Greece (International Club Friendlies).
France vs Greece Predicted XI:
France possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Samba; Kounde, W. Fofana, Konate, T. Hernandez; Griezmann, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Coman, Giroud, Mbappe.
Greece possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Vlachodimos; Baldock, Mavropanos, Chatzidiakos, Tsimikas; Bakasetas, Kourbelis, Mantalos; Masouras, Pavlidis, Pelkas.
Statistical preview of the match France vs Greece:
- France’s First XI average age 25.4 yrs.
- Greece’s First XI average age is 28.5 yrs.
- The French national team is sitting in 2nd place in the FIFA rating, while the Greek one is only 52nd.
- In the last 5 games France have conceded an average of 0.60 goals per game and scored an average of 2.60 goals per game.
- In the last 5 games Greece scored on average 1.60 goals per game and conceded on average 1.00 goals per game.
- France are on a 7-match unbeaten streak (6 wins + 1 draw), with the last 3 matches won.
- France have not conceded in four of their last five matches.
- France has an 8-match unbeaten home winning streak (6 wins + 2 defeats).
- France have won 5 of their last six matches against Greece, losing only once.
- Greece have lost only 1 of their last six matches, losing three times.
- Greece have won only one of their last four away matches, losing twice.
What has been said before the match:
France head coach Didier Deschamps has spoken out about striker Kylian Mbappe’s role as team captain and the past matches:
“He is a captain who has taken on this role completely, which is that it is not just his decision. It’s a group decision. He makes sure to discuss the important points. Kylian is Kylian. He is universally recognised, he doesn’t overplay. He is now at the press conference more often for your greatest happiness.”
“No offense to Gibraltar, Greece has more attacking options. There is more danger in the offensive sector. He has more ability to get the ball out and create dangerous situations. A win on Monday will bring us a little closer to our goal.”
“One depends on the other. The goal was to win, but we should have scored more goals even if the opposition goalkeeper made good saves. We can play better and with more speed, but the pitch did not favor us. Gibraltar he did what he knew how to do and what he had done against Greece and the Netherlands, that is to defend well“.
“It didn’t affect our approach to the match. We were serious and consistent. In the first half, we did very good things except for the last quarter which… irritated me. We almost conceded a goal that would have gone… around the world. In the second half, we got back into the game but there were also playing conditions that were not conducive to speed. Especially because we didn’t put maximum intensity.”
“I will settle for this and start thinking about Monday, which is an important match. We’re going to have a packed stadium. We’re going to do everything we can to finish the season on a high note on Monday.”
Coach of the Greek team Gustavo Poyet thinks the game with Ireland was impressive:
“It was a great game, it was an incredible effort. We had a tough match. We felt like we were playing at home. We became one with the fans and it helped us a lot. There were times when we needed them and they were there. We thank them and you wouldn’t believe how much the players care about being here. This win is key.”
“We tried to play like that and keep our position. Baldock played most of the game on his ankle. I expected an extra goal to be more relaxed. There were some dangerous moments during the game. Vlachodimou’s intervention at the end. We did the basics that I wanted and we move on to the next game. We need to rest and recover. The next game, the one against France, will be different. We will go there with confidence.”
“There has to be balance, modern coaches talk about attack but you have to defend at the same time. We need to be more cynical and not have to go all the way and the coach is sweating the jersey like the players.”
France vs Greece Prediction:
The French team will be at their best against the Greeks, with all the strongest players of the current generation, led by Griezmann and Mbappe, expected to be on the pitch again. So far, even the departure of Lloris and Varane has not had any significant negative impact on the team – youngsters have been very coherent and clear in defence without them.
Meanwhile, Greece are slowly climbing out of the crisis that hit them a little earlier. The team have already taken a maximum of six points in qualifying for EURO 2024. However, it is utterly unclear as to their strength at the moment; Ireland (49th in the FIFA rankings) were beaten very narrowly, and Gibraltar are hardly indicative (201st in the FIFA rankings). They will now face a star-studded, top-notch squad (transfer value of 1,035,895 lakhs vs 130,035 lakhs) in the heart of France, which will be merciless in the face of any slip-ups from the Sky Blues and Whites.
What kind of scenario is on the horizon for us?
The defensive backlines of both teams boast good performances at the moment. While Greece concede just 0.8 goals per game on average, France are even lower at 0.75. The picture is simple, with Greece realistically assessing their chances, will be digging in their last third hoping to snatch 1 point, while France will be testing their siege maneuvers. There’s a good chance that this encounter will be a rather pragmatic affair, with no goalscoring extravaganza on offer.
In addition, the massive attacks by Les Bleus on the approaches to the Greek goal will consequently result in a large number of corners at the Odysseas Vlachodimos goal. The more so because statistically, France and Greece tend to take advantage of set-pieces in their attacking tactics. The French have an average of 5.55 corners per game, and the Greeks serve 5.4 – a statistic that very few teams in Europe can boast and which is usually much lower. Based on this, we assume that the match will see around 10 corner kicks.
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Parimatch News staff prediction:
We say: France will win; Greece’s individual total will be less than 0,5; and Corners Kicks over 9,5 – Yes.