It is finally here! On Friday night Euro 2016 will finally begin as the host nation France take on Romania in Group A in the opening match of the tournament at the Stade de France in Paris.
Both sides will want to make a fast impression on this tournament particularly France who will aim to get a wave of emotion and support going right from the beginning of the competition. Their opponents have made it clear they are not here to make up the numbers though so this should be a good starter.
It is always tough to assess the form of host nations in these tournaments because we have no qualifying form to go by but I always think because of that the friendlies hosts play in are more competitive as a result. That wasn’t the case when France played at Wembley last year but there were circumstances around why that wasn’t so but generally they’ve been competitive.
One thing we can see even from friendlies is that man for man France have the best squad in this tournament. That doesn’t always equate to success but with several thousand passionate Parisians behind them Les Bleus have everything they need to win this match.
Key Man
Paul Pogba is going to be a major player in this tournament and whenever you kick off a competition you want your major players to make a big statement and lay a marker down for the event. I expect Pogba to do that here.
Whenever you hear this opening match being discussed it is like Romania aren’t even going to be there but it would be folly to write them off completely. In qualifying they only conceded two goals in 10 matches so at the very worst Romania know how to keep things tight.
Since that qualifying campaign Romania have held Spain to a 0-0 draw in a friendly so anyone thinking this lot are going to show up and automatically get tonked need to get thinking again. With a 5-1 win in their final friendly Romania might be peaking at the right time.
Key Man
Vlad Chiriches is the one player in this squad who plays at a top level in Europe and he is the one the Romanians will look up to. Having been passed fit to play his influence will be vital if they are to get something out of this one.
Team News
Didier Deschamps almost has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal even though he has had a number of key names pull out on him defensively. There will be no Karim Benzema, Mathieu Valbuena or Raphael Varane for various reasons so Deschamps will need to decide who partners Laurent Koscielny at the back.
Romania will be boosted by the news that former Spurs defender and their captain Vlad Chiriches is fit to play. He had been suffering from a knock but he is over that and will line up in the side, a side which has Premier League representation in the form of Costel Pantilimon.
Head to Head
There have been 15 previous meetings between these two sides with France winning seven and losing three with five draws along the way. You have to go all the way back to 1972 for the last Romania win in this fixture, some 10 matches ago but it should be noted that four of the five draws between them have come in their last five tussles.
Betting
I’m not one of these who expects an easy night for France here. I think they will be made to work hard in this match. I think they’ll get the job done in the end but not without having to show patience and really work hard to break this Romanian side down.
I can’t work out how attack minded Romania will be. You’ve got to think a draw here is a wonderful result in their quest not just to qualify but to do so in a decent position in the group but at the same time are they really going to keep out this classy French unit for 90 minutes just by defending? I’m not convinced.
I’m going to put my money where my mouth is and take France to win the game but in a really tight match where they finally come through by the odd goal. Whether that means Romania score or it ends 1-0 I’m not sure but I think France will just about have enough to keep Romania at arm’s length and get the job done.
Tips
WON – Back France to win by 1 goal for a 3/10 stake at 3.50 with Boylesports
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