France VS Republic of Ireland Match Prediction
2018-05-28
19:00:00
France
VS
Republic of Ireland
Our Prediction Tip
France will win this match.
2018-05-2819:00:00 France will win this match.
France and Ireland have a fairly lengthy history for European football, with 17 matches having taken place down the years. France have doubled the number of wins that Ireland have had at eight so far. Here's a look at the last three results:
Jun 26, 2016: France 2-1 Ireland (Euro 2016)
Nov 18, 2009: France 1-1 Ireland (WCQ Playoffs)
Nov 14, 2009: Ireland 0-1 France (WCQ Playoffs)
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Bet365 have the following odds available for this match:
France are at 1/6 to win, a draw is at 11/2, and an Ireland win is at 18/1.
Both France and Ireland had a big say in the story of qualification for this summer's World Cup. France, obviously, had a bigger part. Not only did they book their spot in Russia, but they also helped oust the Netherlands from even getting a sniff at doing so, and furthermore, they helped Sweden get to the playoffs and eventually get to the showpiece tournament as well. Ireland came through a very tight and tense Group D where four sides played a role for substantial amounts of time. They overcame Wales in a nervy final day showdown to get to the playoffs by finishing in second place, but they were humbled at the feet of Denmark in those finals by an aggregate score of 5-1.
France's record in the past year includes seven wins, two draws, and just two losses. Both losses came against teams that will be headed to Russia in a couple of weeks' time. They lost away to Sweden in qualification in a match that looked to be a turning point that could have pushed them into the playoffs. However, that did not come to pass. Most recently, they lost against Colombia- despite having a solid lead at home- by a score of 2-3. That came in March, but it was followed up by a win over Russia in Saint Petersburg. As for Ireland, they have just two wins, four draws, and three losses in their last calendar year of action. This is a tough team, in general terms, to beat, but they have also found it tough to win. They have no wins in their last four outings, two of those being a draw and a loss with Denmark in the playoffs.
As mentioned before, Ireland fell apart against the Danes. While we don't expect to see similar here, they will be right up against it as the French players jockey for position in the starting XI ahead of Russia.
Didier Deschamps has now chosen his squad for the FIFA World Cup, and in so doing has upset quite a few people due to all of the potential choices he has. He's spoiled for choice, really, and it certainly shows. There aren't many surprise inclusions, but midfielder Steven N'Zonzi of Sevilla and defender Benjamin Pavard of Stuttgart are two examples of that. Midfielder Adrien Rabiot declined a spot as a reserve, and others to be left out entirely include defender Laurent Koscielny and forwards Anthony Martial and Alexandre Lacazette.
No matter what transpires in Russia, one thing is going to be certain, or at least it looks apparent. Deschamps should be having headaches over who to play almost all over the park. One such place, though, that should not come with one of those is up front. One spot, whether it's in the middle of out wide should be taken by Antoine Griezmann. The Atletico man has been rumored for a switch to Barcelona, and it's easy to see why. He's just won his side the Europa League and he'll be looking for more silverware this summer.
France have three wins, a loss, and a draw in their last five matches:
1-3 win at Russia
2-3 home loss vs Colombia
2-2 draw at Germany
2-0 home win vs Wales
2-1 home win vs Belarus (WCQ)
Martin O'Neill has called up a very large squad for this set of friendlies due to the fact that they were going to be playing a testimonial match against Celtic. However, we expect to see his strongest team played here against a team that is a bit of a rival for them due to what has happened in the past between them. Those left out include defenders Stephen Ward and Paul McShane and midfielders Aiden McGeady and Robbie Brady among others.
One man that Ireland and all of its fans will be glad to see back on the pitch for them is Seamus Coleman. The Everton man went through injury hell, but he has returned to the captain the team once again, and with it, they get a spark back that they had missed for some time. The right back has just one international goal, but he offers so much more with his pace and crossing ability down the opposition's left. They might just feel they can get at the French from wide, and he'll be one path to doing just that.
Ireland have two losses, a draw, and two wins in their last five matches:
1-0 loss at Turkey
1-5 home loss vs Denmark (WCQ Playoffs)
0-0 draw at Denmark (WCQ Playoffs)
0-1 win at Wales (WCQ)
2-0 home win vs Moldova (WCQ)
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