France vs Albania
The third and final match of the day in Euro2016 on Wednesday sees the tournament hosts France back in action for the second time in the competition. They host Albania in Marseille knowing that a win will send them into the knockout stages and get everyone’s excitement building.
After defeat in their opening match Albania will know that they can’t afford another if qualifying for the last 16 is to remain in their own hands so they will be eager to get something out of this one.
It wasn’t the most convincing French performance I’ve ever seen in their opening match against Romania but I’m prepared to cut them a little bit of slack. It is never easy to open up a tournament especially having had two years without a competitive fixture. I fancy they’ll be much more at it here.
The defence remains a concern for all involved with France. They lack pace and have the ability to be exposed in the wider areas and their centre back pairing didn’t look rock solid. Thankfully for France, Romania lacked the credentials to cause that defence too many troubles.
Key Man
Dimitri Payet was quite brilliant in the opening game. He fully justified Deschamps’ faith in him and proved that the World Cup winner was right to name him in the starting XI despite the ridiculous depth he has at his disposal in that area. Payet has been lighting up football matches all season and expect him to do the same here.
It is hard to know what to make of Albania because just as they looked to have found their feet in what was a bit of a grudge match against Switzerland they were reduced to 10 men and it was a different game from there.
It has to be said that Albania created some really good chances in that match but they just lacked the composure to put the ball in the back of the net which was a shame from a neutral point of view. Now that they have had time to take in the occasion they should be a little more composed in front of goal if getting the chance here.
Key Man
Armando Sadiku found himself in some fantastic positions against Switzerland but just failed to convert them but with a little more composure if he can get into those positions again he could just be the man to make history for Albania and score for them in their first major finals.
Team News
It would be a surprise if Didier Deschamps made too many changes to his side after their performance in the opening match although Patrice Evra could be vulnerable should they change. He gave away the penalty against Romania and generally looked quite poor.
Albania will be forced into a change as their captain Lorik Cana is suspended after his red card against Switzerland. It would appear between Arlind Ajeti or Frederic Veseli as to who will replace him. Colorado Rapids forward Shkelzen Gashi could start too.
Head to Head
There have only been six meetings between these two down the years. France won the first four of them but the last two have seen a draw and an Albania win. That win came around a year ago in a friendly so survivors of that match should be using that for good memories here.
Betting
I don’t see France losing this match but you really need to take a handicap on them in order to make any money from betting on them and do you really want to take a cap with this defence on your side? I’m not sure I do.
I do think we’ll see some goals here though. The match is nicely set up for goals. France are playing against a side their fans will expect them to beat convincingly and Marseille crowds can certainly let you know about it if you are not performing how they would expect.
On the flip side of that Albania showed some good things against Switzerland in their opening match and if they can just be a little calmer at the key moments it wouldn’t be a huge surprise were they to find the net.
The beauty of over 2.5 goals in this match is yes Albania could score but we might not need them to because this French side are perfectly capable of putting three past any side let alone an Albanian one missing their best defender. It all points to over 2.5 goals to me.
Tips
Back Over 2.5 goals for a 4/10 stake at 1.80 with Skybet
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