France National Football Team

Manager / Didier Deschamps
Appointed / July 2012
Captain / Hugo Lloris
Top Scorer in Euro 2020 Qualifiers / Olivier Giroud, 6
Top Scorer in Squad (Domestic season 2020-21) / Kylian Mbappe, 27 (PSG, French Ligue 1)
Most Carded in qualifying / Antoine Griezmann, 2
Group / F, vs. Germany (16/06/2021), vs. Hungary (20/06/2021), vs. Portugal (24/06/2021)

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *

France Road to Euro 2020

Most bookmakers agree that France will be there or thereabouts this summer when it comes to winning the Euros. They are considered joint-favourites alongside England and Deschamps has named an extremely strong looking squad which he will take to the Euros. They are the reigning world champions and were losing finalists to Portugal in Euro 2016 so fair to say have been the most successful footballing nation in the last 5-6 years.

They qualified for the tournament with relative ease by topping Group H winning 8 of their 10 group games in the process. There has been a real overhaul in French football since the debacle of the 2010 World Cup where the French were knocked out in the group stages and they are now enjoying one of the most successful periods in their history.

France have consistently featured in the knockout rounds in international tournaments this past decade. They converted their promise into output in 2018 although haven’t managed to do the same in the Nations League so far.

As I said previously, it has by and large been a story of success for Les Bleus in recent years and the extra-time defeat to Portugal in Euro 2016 is the only real blemish to what has been a highly successful spell under Didier Deschamps.

They have been drawn in the ‘group of death’; Group F alongside fellow heavyweights Germany and Portugal as well as Hungary who are certainly no pushovers. You would expect them to progress and if they were able to do so it is hard to not consider them favourites going into the knockout stages.

France Euro 2020 Squad

Difficult not to be impressed by the 26 man squad named by Deschamps and in reality look to have two world class players in each position. The long-awaited return of Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema from his international hiatus has only added to their already impressive attacking talent. They have a solid foundation and their core of 2018’s winners is still intact and arguably more in their prime now.

Goalkeeper

Arguably the weakest area of the French squad with Hugo Lloris not quite the world class keeper he once was as performances with Spurs in recent seasons have shown. He is captain however and his experience is invaluable within what remains a relatively young squad and he is very well respected amongst the group. Lloris is undisputed number 1 and barring injury will almost play every minute throughout the competition. Mike Maignan and Steve Mandanda offer reliable and decent back-ups but the leadership Lloris brings make him irreplaceable.

Defence

Despite the attacking riches at his disposal, Deschamps has given the highest importance to the defence. A very athletic and powerful backline allows the French to cope easily if they wish to play a high defensive line which could prove highly advantageous. Varane at 28 is the most experienced member of the backline which gives you an indication of just what a youthful squad it is but the young talent coming through is simply exceptional. Kurt Zouma and Presnel Kimpembe have played important roles in their respective sides’ progression through to the latter stages of the Champions League. Jules Kounde is amongst the most exciting defensive talents on the continent. He is yet to make his debut for the national team but Kounde’s performances at Sevilla have earned him a call-up for the Euro campaign. The fact that neither Dayot Upemacano or Ibrahim Konate who were signed by Bayern Munich and Liverpool respectively this summer could make the squad is a testament to their strength in this area. No doubt the defence looks strong but if anything were to cost them it would likely be their lack of experience at international level.

Midfield

Deschamps is very consistent with his team selection and the starting midfield pretty much picks itself with Pogba and Kante the likely duo if Deschamps sticks with his usual 4-2-3-1 formation. While the starting 11 is mightily impressive, the lack of midfield depth will definitely be of a concern for the French. The back-ups to Kante and Pogba are Rabiot, Tolisso and Moussa Sissoko – and that’s it. Sissoko being an unchallenged selection within this star-studded squad says a lot with a guy who can barely get a game at Spurs. Should Pogba or particularly Kante be injured for some/all of the tournament I feel this is a position where they could really struggle. Kante has been at his very best in the final few months of the season for Chelsea and other than Mbappe I would argue is the most important player for Les Blues. Kante to be player of the tournament at 50/1 looks a decent shout for a value long-shot bet!

Attack

As previously touched upon the addition of Benzema to this already extraordinary forward-line makes France an even scarier proposition. Although Modric won player of the tournament at the World Cup in 2018, it was widely accepted that Kylian Mbappe was the real winner of that title. Mbappe has been in exceptional form this season, scoring 42 goals and assisting a further 11 in all competitions. His performance against Barcelona in the Champions League was testament to his skills when he single-handedly tore apart the Spanish giants. If he gets the proper service, there is no stopping Mbappe. He could be worth a shout for both top scorer (9/1) and player of the tournament (7/1). Further attacking options exist with the likes of Griezmann, Giroud, Coman, Ben Yedder and Dembele also called up; the French really are spoilt for choice from an attacking sense.

France predicted line-up vs. Germany: Lloris; Pavard, Varane, Kimpembe, Hernandez; Kante, Pogba; Coman, Griezmann, Mbappe; Benzema (4-2-3-1)

France Euro 2020 Betting Tips & Predictions

I have touched upon the outrageous forward options the French have and I like the look of them to be the highest scoring team in the tournament at 10.0. I expect them to go deep in the tournament and with the clinical Benzema added to their attacking arsenal this looks a decent value selection.

The return of Benzema has raised a lot of eyebrows but he is certainly a player who continues to get better with age. He was exceptional for Real Madrid this season and should he start for France he looks a great price at 17.0 for top goalscorer. Touch and go whether he displaces Olivier Giroud as the number 9 for Les Bleus with Deschamps a big fan of his. Although should he start the first game against Germany then at 15.0 he looks a cracking shout.

You will see from my Germany preview that I am not the biggest fan of their squad and I could quite possibly see them being one of the failures of the tournament. I am also tipping France to win the competition so I think you can see where I am going with this one. France face the Germans in the opening game for both sides and Germans are priced at favourites with the French out at 2.6 to win the match. I feel this is fantastic value as I expect the reigning world champions to get off to a perfect start!

 Predicted stage of elimination: Euro 2020 Champions

How to watch Hungary v France in Euro 2020

📅   When / Saturday, 19 June 2021, 14:00 BST
🏟   Where / Puskás Aréna (Budapest)
📺   TV / BBC One, ARD
📱   Online streaming / bet365