France v England: French depth will result in home win

France v England

Tuesday, 20:00

Live On ITV 1

France

France's hopes of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup suffered a blow at the weekend when they lost 2-1 to Sweden.

Their qualifying group is now very tight, with the Swedes leading France on goal difference and with Holland and Bulgaria still in contention. What's worse, they were heading for a very useful away draw with Sweden until Tottenham's Hugo Lloris made a rare blunder in the final moments of the game, to present Ola Toivonen with the opportunity to score the winner.

Another Spurs player was in action against Sweden, with many eyebrows being raised at the decision by Didier Deschamps to select Moussa Sissoko after a very poor debut season with the North Londoners. It was an overtly cautious call by Deschamps, as he opted for an experienced but out of form player, over youthful talents such as Ousmane Dembele, Thomas Lemar and Kylian Mbappe.

It's likely that Deschamps will give some of the younger players in his squad an opportunity to impress in the friendly with England and with the likes of Lemar and Mbappe having been linked with a move to our shores this summer, many a Premier League manager will be tuning into this match with interest.

England

Like another English leader this week, Gareth Southgate found himself looking for positives after a disappointing performance that did not live up to expectations.

An unimpressive England were limping to a 1-0 win over Scotland before two brilliant free kicks from Leigh Griffiths in the final minutes put the hosts ahead. It took a last gasp volley from Harry Kane to spare England's blushes and earn a draw.

Southgate was quick to praise the spirit showed by his team, but while England demonstrated their fighting spirit a bigger concern will be the paucity of options he has available in certain positions. Jake Livermore is a decent enough backup for Eric Dier, but it is not ideal to see them paired in midfield and contributed to the lack of creativity.

The manager is likely to look at different options against France, with Jack Butland and Fraser Forster battling to replace Joe Hart in goal.

Match Odds

France are the 1.99 favourites, with the draw at 3.50 and England at 4.50.

England won 2-0 when these nations last met in 2015, but had gone six games without a victory in the previous games between the old rivals, with the French winning four times.

Considering these statistics and the depth in the French squad compared to England, the price for a home win looks good value. For those wanting a really safe option, the odds of 1.43 for France in the Draw No Bet market may appeal.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals

Unders is the favourites at 1.65, with overs out at 2.16.

It's a big price for over 2.5 goals after a weekend in which both sides saw three goals or more in their games. France have produced over 2.5 goals in four of their last six games, while England have done likewise in three of their last five.

England have found the net in six of their eight games since the European Championships last summer, with Both Teams To Score available at 1.91.

To Score

Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud lead the way, with both of the French forwards priced at [2.75]. Of the two it's Giroud who is in the better goalscoring form, with six goals from his last four games, though the Arsenal striker is the likelier to be benched should Deschamps decide to blood the youngsters.

For England, it's unsurprisingly Harry Kane who is favourite to add to his tally, with the Premier League's top scorer available at 3.35.

Recommended Bets

Back France to beat England at 1.99

Back over 2.5 goals at 2.16