France vs Finland
France have a great chance to boost their World Cup 2022 qualification campaign on Tuesday when they welcome Finland to the Stade des Lumieres in Lyon.
Les Bleus are four points clear at the top of Group D, but second-place Finland have two games in hand and Didier Deschamps’ world champions have a big opportunity to put distance between them and the chasing pack.
It promises to be a fascinating night; while Les Bleus have a squad dripping with talent, they have lost some of their ruthlessness over the past couple of months, and Deschamps will expect to see his team take the underdogs apart.
But Finland is a nation still bubbling following their qualification for Euro 2020 and, if France are not at their best, the visitors are capable of springing a surprise.
Talking Points
Draws are holding France back
Les Bleus head back to France to face Finland following a difficult 90 minutes against Ukraine, where a scrambled Anthony Martial goal saved a point.
In fairness, a trip to Ukraine is never easy and when Mykola Shaparenko gave the hosts a first-half lead with a 20-yard screamer, the task became all the more testing. Moussa Diaby almost won the game in injury time, hitting the post, but that would have been harsh on the hosts, who deserved a share of the spoils.
It was France’s fifth draw in a row in all competitions. The last time they played on home soil, a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina was the outcome as Antoine Griezmann scored in a bad-tempered game which saw defender Jules Kounde sent off.
The mood in the camp has been fractious ever since France exited Euro 2020 on penalties to Switzerland following a 3-3 draw, and the absence of Kylian Mbappe, seemingly distracted by the rumours of his move to Real Madrid, doesn’t help.
One goal a game isn’t enough for France, and Martial’s bundled effort only just crossed the line. The return of Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford has left Martial’s future in some doubt, but his form over the past 12 months doesn’t justify a place in the World Champions’ first eleven. Karim Benzema’s return to the fold is a boost and he should have too much firepower for the Finns.
The World Cup 2022 betting odds point to a home win and now is the time for Les Bleus to stop drawing…
Kanerva’s Finland love the limelight
Finland came to the attention of the football world in June when they made their first appearance at a major finals at Euro 2020. And their campaign got off to a dramatic start when they overcame Denmark following the collapse of Christian Eriksen.
Finland’s 1-0 victory was overshadowed by Eriksen’s heart problem, and thankfully the Inter Milan midfielder is well on the road to recovery. But nothing can take away the achievement of Markku Kanerva’s side after they achieved qualification in the first place.
And now they are attempting to prove it wasn’t a fluke as they try to produce more positive World Cup 2022 results. The Finns arrive in France on the back of a 1-0 victory over Kazakhstan thanks to another goal from Joel Pohjanpalo, the scorer in Finland’s win over Denmark at Euro 2020. It was a vital three points following a hard-fought 0-0 draw with Wales and now they have a chance to push for qualification.
Bayer Leverkusen keeper Lukas Hradecky is arguably Finland’s most important player, while Norwich striker Teemu Pukki continues to lead the line up front. But a return of two goals in seven games for the Finland team will not strike fear into the hearts of the French.
History
As expected. Les Blues have had the better of the head to head results, winning eight of the nine meetings, but their last encounter was a painful one as Finland beat them on home soil in a friendly game last October.
Two debutants, Brentford’s Marcus Forss and Pafos midfielder Onni Valakari, scored the goals at the Stade de France in a shock 2-0 victory. Valakari’s was a goal to behold as he cut inside before unleashing an unstoppable 25-yard shot.
It was the first time France had conceded two first-half goals at home since 2015, and they will be keen to make Finland pay, and so they should against a team with only three clean sheets in their last 12 games.
Betting Tip
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France vs Finland | France Asian Handicap -2.00 @ 2.08 |
| September 8, 02:45 (GMT+8) |
With France at SBOTOP odds of 1.17 to win, the draw at 7.00 and Finland at 20.00, anything other than a win for Les Bleus would be a major shock.
The Finns will fight and the French are rather moody at the moment, but with the quality of Benzema and Griezmann in their ranks the hosts should still win with some comfort.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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