France vs Poland Preview & Prediction | UEFA EURO 2024 | Group Stage

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France are under a bit of pressure to ensure top spot in Group D after a goalless draw with the Netherlands but they do have the fortune of playing their final game against a Poland side that became the first team to be eliminated from UEFA EURO 2024.

KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Tuesday 25^th June, 2024 - UK – 5:00pm / US EST – 12:00pm / US PT – 9:00am

HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – BBC / US – FOX

HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – BBC iPlayer / US – VIX

FRANCE PREVIEW: LACK OF PRECISION AND INCISION

France headed into the tournament as one of the leading contenders for the trophy and they have collected four points from two tough matches, one without key man Kylian Mbappe, without conceding but they have remained unconvincing in those games with a little bit of a need to show some more attacking intent and quality outside of Mbappe.

Didier Deschamps’ side needed an own goal to breakdown and defeat an excellent Austrian side in their opener and then needed some luck from a controversial VAR decision in order to avoid defeat against the Netherlands. They do, though, have a habit of starting tournaments like this and will inevitably go deep into the competition.

POLAND PREVIEW: SALVAGING SOME PRIDE

Poland endured a fairly miserable qualifying campaign and needed penalties to defeat Wales in Cardiff in their playoff final with Michal Probierz, replacing Fernando Santos, yet to really get a tune out of them before the tournament kicked off. That said, when they took the lead against the Netherlands and only lost by two goals to one, there was some hope.

That hope soon faded on Friday, though, when they eventually became ragged and torn apart by the aforementioned Austrians with a 3-1 defeat at the Olympiastadion in Berlin eliminating them after just two matches and two matches in which they have been unable to start the game with talisman Robert Lewandowski.

FRANCE TEAM NEWS: MBAPPE MAY RETURN

Reports in the French media have suggested that Kylian Mbappe will return to captain France in what is now a crucial game in Group D with the Real Madrid forward wearing a mask to protect his broken nose. Aurelien Tchouameni returned to the eleven against the Netherlands but is once again a doubt with injury.

PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernandez; Kante, Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele, Mbappe, Griezmann

UNAVAILABLE:

QUESTIONABLE: Tchouameni (Injured), Mbappe (Injured)

POLAND TEAM NEWS: LEWA STILL MAY NOT START

Poland captain Robert Lewandowski sat out their opening game against the Netherlands in which they lost by two goals to one before then being a second-half substitute against the Austrians. With Poland already out his fitness remains in doubt and he may not be involved but there is an expectation that the Barcelona forward does finally start this one.

PREDICTED XI (3-4-1-2): Szczesny; Bednarek, Dawidowicz, Kiwior; Frankowski, Slisz, Piotrowski, Zalewski; Zielinski; Lewandowski, Piatek

UNAVAILABLE:

QUESTIONABLE: Lewandowski (Injured)

KEY STATS

• France are unbeaten in the last eight meetings between these two teams (W4 D4) and recorded a 3-1 victory in their most recent encounter which was in the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup. Poland have not beaten France since a 4-0 win in a friendly match in Paris all the way back in August 1982.
• France have qualified for the knockout rounds in seven of their previous nine EURO group stage appearances, missing out only at EURO 1992 and EURO 2008.
• Excluding penalty shoot-outs, France have lost only one of their last 13 EURO matches (W7 D5).
• France have drawn four of their last five EURO matches (W1).
• France are unbeaten in their last eight EURO group stage matches (W4 D4).
• Excluding penalty shoot-outs, France have not lost any of their last 14 competitive matches (W11 D3).
• France have not conceded a goal in their last four international matches.
• France kept a clean sheet in their previous two matches at EURO 2024. They have never completed a group stage at the finals without conceding a goal.
• A clean sheet for France would equal their best sequence of clean sheets (three) in EURO matches which they achieved across EURO 1996 and EURO 2000.
• France could complete a EURO group stage without defeat for the sixth time.
• France have won their group at each of the last two EURO final tournaments without losing a match.
• France have been losing at half-time in only one of their last 11 EURO group stage matches.
• Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann are set to make their 14th EURO appearance for France, moving them level with Zinédine Zidane. Behind only Lilian Thuram (16) and Hugo Lloris (15).
• Excluding penalty shoot-outs, Poland have won only two of their 16 EURO matches (D7 L7). Their most recent victory was a 1-0 win against Ukraine in their last group match at EURO 2016.
• Poland have scored in eight successive EURO matches.
• Poland have scored more than one goal in only one of their 16 EURO matches.
• Only one of Poland’s 16 EURO matches has finished without a goal being scored. That was a 0-0 draw against Germany in the group stage at EURO 2016.
• Poland have never lost all three matches in a EURO group.

FRANCE VS POLAND PREDICTION

France will win Group D if they better the Netherlands’ scoreline against Austria and that is key. Group D winners head into the bottom-half of the knockout stage draw and that means they will avoid the likes of Germany, Portugal and Spain. Poland, on the other hand, will simply be aiming to avoid humiliation and head home without a point but that seems extremely unlikely and an extremely comfortable French victory is to be expected.

FRANCE VS POLAND TIP: FRANCE TO WIN -1 HANDICAP