The first international break of the new season comes around and these France vs. Ireland predictions suggest that Le Bleus will carry on exactly where they left off.
1 – France to win – 2/7
2 – Over 2.5 goals scored – 7/10
3 – Both teams not to score – 4/7
4 – Kylian Mbappé to score first – 13/5
5 – France to win to nil – 5/6
France have begun their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign in scintillating form, winning four out of four so far and blowing away the competition in Group B. It started with a 4-0 demolition of the Netherlands and now Didier Deschamps’ side take on Ireland at Parc des Princes on Thursday.
Deschamps has explained that his omission of Paul Pogba is nothing permanent but that the Juventus midfielder needs to get some more minutes on the field before he will be able to help with France’s qualification for the finals in Germany next year.
Along with winning all four games, France are also yet to concede a single goal and that could continue this week. Ireland have traditionally played a fairly tight defence but France could look to kick off the new season in style – and a high-scoring victory could be on the cards.
Stephen Kenny will be hoping that his side will be able to stop the pace of Kylian Mbappé somehow. But the Paris Saint-Germain attacker looks good to score on his home ground – and he might even be the first to find the net this week.
Ireland have improved over the last year or so but will still do very well to finish in the top two in this group, even if the Netherlands look to be as inconsistent as ever. The Dutch are up next after this one, so it could be a particularly disappointing week of international football for Irish fans.
If Ireland can keep France quiet in the opening half hour of this one, the home side may become unsettled. But it seems more likely that France will enjoy a relatively straightforward evening and claim three more points towards their qualification for the European Championship.
France vs. Ireland can be live streamed in various places including Viaplay. Check local scheduling details for how to watch all the action from the Parc des Princes.
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18-11-2023 19:45
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16-10-2023 19:45
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13-10-2023 19:45
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10-09-2023 19:45
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| Player | Total goals |
|---|---|
| 2 | |
| 2 | |
| 2 | |
| 1 |
France (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, L Hernandez; Camavinga, Tchouaméni; Coman, Griezmann, Mbappé; Giroud
Ireland (3-4-2-1): Bazunu; O’Shea, Collins, Egan; Doherty, Cullen, Molumby, Stevens; Knight, Ogbene; Ferguson
Didier Deschamps could well welcome Lucas Hernandez straight back into the starting line-up after recovering from the ACL injury suffered at the 2022 World Cup. William Saliba may also come in at centre-back to replace the injured Ibrahima Konaté. Olivier Giroud could get the nod to lead the line up front.
Stephen Kenny has a tall order to figure out how to stop one of the most devastating attacking units in world football on Thursday. Although it is fair to assume that his line-up and tactics will be different to those used in the last game against Gibraltar. He will be hoping that Evan Ferguson can keep up the kind of form he showed for Brighton at the weekend, when he scored a hat-trick against Newcastle.
