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The second of the two semi-finals of Euro 2016 sees to the two teams that entered the tournament at the head of the outright betting market face-off against each other, Germany and France. I think it’s fair to say that the winner of this match will be the favourite to win the final, so there’s going to be just that added bit of extra pressure, not to mention that both nations have had high hopes going into this that this would be their time – while Wales and Portugal are freerolling, essentially, Germany and France were expected to make it this far, so all eyes will be on them. The games takes place on July 7th at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille.
Germany will have felt a bit fortunate to be playing in this semi-final after getting through a scrappy penalty shootout against Italy, after the game finished 1-1 after 90 minutes and then extra-time. Their penalties weren’t great, but they were better than Italy’s, and that’s all that matters. It was the first goal Germany had conceded in Euro 2016, also, which was a great record coming into the game. Their path to the semi-final saw Germany beat Northern Ireland 1-0, Ukraine 2-0, draw with Poland 0-0, beat Slovakia 3-0 and then the aforementioned draw with Italy. Mario Gomez is Germany’s top scorer at Euro 2016 with two goals. Germany will be missing Mats Hummels through suspension for the semi-final against France.
France made it to the semi-finals by crushing the hopes of Iceland, as well as millions of neutrals who had hoped to see the Icelanders progress. But France did it in emphatic fashion, crushing Iceland 5-2, with 4 different goalscorers on the scoresheet for the hosts. France have been getting better as the tournament progressed, as they failed to impressed in their group wins over Romania (2-1), and Albania (2-0), with late goals sparing their blushes. They closed out Group A with a 0-0 draw with Switzerland. They then stepped it up a gear in the second half of their game against Ireland, coming from 1-0 down to win 2-1. It took Antoine Griezmann a while to make it to the top of the goalscorer charts with 4 goals. Olivier Giroud and Dimitri Payet are right behind him on 3 goals, though.
As you would expect, Germany have faced France on numerous occasions, with Germany winning 10 times, France winning 12, with 5 games ending in draws. France won the last meeting between the two teams in 2015. The game finished 2-0, although it was only a friendly. Their last competitive meeting came in Brazil at the 2014 World Cup, which Germany won 1-0.
Germany vs France Match Betting Odds:
Germany: 2.88, 15/8, +187
France: 2.88, 15/8, +187
Draw: 3.0, 2/1, +200
Germany vs France Match Betting Tips:
Unsurprisingly, the bookies have this is a coin toss, and they can’t split the side, or the draw, really. However, there’s maybe one thing splitting the sides here, and that’s the toll their semi-finals took on both teams. Germany came through 120 bruising minutes against Italy, then penalties, which is going to have been draining. Mario Gomez and Sami Khedira are both out as a result of injuries, and Bastian Schweinsteiger has also picked up a knock. Add in Mats Hummels suspension, and things don’t look great for the spine of Germany’s excellent side. So, who plays up front for Germany, who struggled to find the net early on? The only thing that sets alarm bells ringing is the French defence. They conceded sloppy penalties against Romania and Ireland, and they did look frail at times against Iceland, even conceding two goals. However, unlike Germany, they were able to give the their players a well-deserved rest, taking Giroud off early, for example, to save his legs. France to win is the slight value here, and with the home fans backing them, they should hopefully get it done. The other bright side is that France has shown up late in games, and we know they have the legs for the entire 90 minutes.
Germany vs France Prop Bets:
As I mentioned previously, France like to keep their best until late, so I expect a late goal or two from France. Germany will be looking to kill the game off early, and with France slow starters during Euro 2016, they might just have to win this from behind, so we’ll have a bet of France to win from behind at double-figure odds, because they have shown themselves to be strong starters and fast finishers. Both teams to score at odds against looks like a great-value saver bet, too.
