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The final of the 2016 European Championships takes place on Sunday, July 10th with the intriguing match-up of Portugal vs France.
Throughout the entire tournament both Scott and Graeme have conferred about each game and then given their own opinions – Graeme takes one game, Scott takes another etc.
However for the final, we’re both going to give our opinions because they are both opposite and that way you get the most insight possible.
Let’s quickly see what betting opportunities there are:
Graeme: I’m going to be going with Portugal to win.
I don’t think they deserve to win the 2016 European Championships but I do think they will. They’re one of those teams where luck has just went their way. Look at the crazy qualifying stage where they had arguably the easiest group but drew every game and scraped through. Or that horrific game against Croatia. Then they beat Poland only on penalties – then played a Wales team who were missing Ramsay – a massive loss. Wales were clearly not the same without him.
France on the other hand to be fair have also ridden their luck – but I just think the way Portugal have came here they’re destined to be here. Plus France have had a much easier knockout stages and really haven’t looked strong at all other than the Iceland game. I mean they beat Germany but they were looking horrific in that first half.
It’s a tough one but I’ll go with Portugal.
Scott: I have to admit that I was disappointed with France against Germany. They looked off the pace for most of the first half, but through the ‘penalty’, they managed to get into half-time in the lead. Of course, that changed the complexion of the game, and Germany were constantly chasing, and were just unable to break them down, despite having the majority of the possession. And I think possession is the key thing here – Portugal are a side that like to dominate possession, but they tend to show little for it, just like Germany. The long and short of it, for me, is that Portugal are going to play a lot like Germany did, but without that bite that the Germans have. If France didn’t struggle with it against the World Champions, they aren’t going to struggle against a Portugal side that has failed to impress in any game it’s played so far.
I’m surprised that France aren’t odds-on. They have the entire continent of Europe (bar Portugal) behind them, not just the home support, and Didier Deschamps has shown a great tactical brain that has enabled him to change games with one substitution or one switch in formation. France to win without a doubt is the play here for me, as I think they’re far too big. Plus, Portugal really did flatter to deceive against Wales, who are under-strength, and the 2-0 scoreline flattered them.
Looking at the prop bets, under 2.5 goals looks good to me. Both sides are tight defensively, with France conceding 4 goals all tournament, and Portugal 5. Olivier Giroud to be Man of the Match is also my value selection here, and just a bit of interest. Griezmann is rightfully at the head of the market, along with Cristiano Ronaldo, but Giroud has had a great tournament, albeit he was shown up for his distinct lack of pace against the Germans, but write him off at your peril – if he can get his name on the scoresheet, he’ll be in with a great shout for the Man of the Match honours.
