Back France's Golden Generation to shine
France v Holland
Thursday, 19:45
Live on Sky Sports
Picture the scene. Didier Deschamps finishes training for the day. He retires to his office at Clairefontaine, closes the door behind him and does a little dance, punching the air. Deschamps has to feel like the luckiest manager in international football right now. Five of the players in his squad have been involved in moves worth a combined €333.5m this summer and that figure could have been more.
Benjamin Mendy has been left in Manchester after his €58m switch from Monaco to Man City. Ousmane Dembele will also watch France's qualifiers from afar after going on strike train to push through his €105m transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona.
The term golden generation has perhaps never been more appropriate. Particularly when you consider Paul Pogba joined Manchester United for a world record fee only a year ago, and Anthony Martial cost the Reds €60m the summer before that. Don't forget Antoine Griezmann would probably have also left Atleti this summer were it not for their transfer ban.
And yet for all the talent at Deschamps' disposal, France are currently behind a Zlatan-less Sweden in their World Cup qualifying group. Goal difference is all that separates them but it makes Thursday's game against Holland at the Stade de France even more significant.
Deschamps is expected to stick with Olivier Giroud and Griezmann up front despite the hype surrounding some of his other attackers. The prospects of Kylian Mbappé featuring from the start appear slim, in part because he has played just once while his loan to PSG from Monaco is sorted out. A chang00e of system to a 4-3-3 would also still see Mbappé line up on the right, away from his natural position on the other flank, which Griezmann would likely occupy.
The embarrassment of riches gives Deschamps' a headache all managers would like to have. But finding the right configuration and achieving balance at the same time is not as easy as it looks.
Much again will be expected of Pogba, although events this summer have somewhat eased the pressure on him. The Neymar deal smashed the transfer record and the Dembele and Mbappe affairs mean he is no longer even the most expensive player eligible on the French squad. Pogba got the winner when these two sides met in Amsterdam a year ago. Why not take him as an Anytime Goalscorer on the Sportsbook @ 7/2?
Italy can get something from Spain trip
Spain v Italy
Saturday, 19:45
ITV4
Billed as a decider for automatic qualification, Saturday's game at the Bernabeu is the stand-out fixture of the international fortnight. It sees Italy return to the scene of one of their finest hours and iconic moments; Marco Tardelli's celebration in the 1982 World Cup final. The Azzurri will hope to draw inspiration from that magical night and beat Spain on home soil.
Neck-and-neck at the top of Group G, Julen Lopetegui's side have the edge on goal difference after scoring four more goals than Italy did against Liechtenstein. Spain dominated possession in a 1-1 draw with Italy in Turin last October, but failed to create a lot of chances. Their only goal came from an uncharacteristic error from Gigi Buffon and Italy finished strong after switching to a 3-4-1-2 in the final 20 minutes.
It'll come as no surprise then to learn that Giampiero Ventura has been working on that formation in training this week. Spain have historically had problems against teams that play three at the back. Chile helped knock them out from the last World Cup playing that way, and of course Italy brought the curtain down on the Vicente del Bosque era using a 3-5-2 at the Euros in 2016.
Subplots to this weekend's encounter are not lacking. The BBC is back together for the first time since Leonardo Bonucci's move to Milan. David Villa earned a recall to the Spain squad despite playing in MLS at New York City, prompting to questions about Ventura's unwillingness to consider Sebastian Giovinco for selection.
In other news, you might say Antonio Conte did Ventura a favour by sending that text message to Diego Costa. Currently AWOL in Brazil, the stand-off with Chelsea has made it impossible for Lopetegui to select him. However, Costa's replacement at the Bridge, Alvaro Morata has started the season well and knows the BBC inside out from his two years at Juventus.
Even with that in mind, it's still probably worth taking Italy on Double Chance @ 2.12
Sampaoli the man to get Argentina firing again
Uruguay v Argentina
Friday, 00:00
It's long overdue but Argentina finally have a manager capable of making this team greater than the sum of its parts, and when the parts include Lionel Messi, Paulo Dybala and Mauro Icardi, there is cause for great excitement. Jorge Sampaoli's first competitive game as coach of the Albiceleste is a clasico with Uruguay at one of world football's great grounds, Montevideo's El Centenario.
With FIFA president Gianni Infantino in attendance, the presidents of both countries are expected to use the occasion to announce their intention to co-host the World Cup in 2030, the centenary of when Uruguay last staged the greatest show on earth. But, for now, let's get back to the game. This is one of international football's fiercest rivalries.
The trouble for Oscar Washington Tabarez is that his star player Luis Suarez is injured and unless he makes a miraculous recovery, like he did before the last World Cup when he returned from knee surgery after just 28 days, the Celeste will have to go without. Sampaoli, meanwhile, can count on the best player in the world [Messi], and a potential future Ballon d'Or winner in Dybala, who has started the season on fire at Juventus, scoring six goals in three games.
Sampaoli's decision to end Icardi's international exile and entrust the attack to a player who, unlike Gonzalo Higuain, always shows up in big games also makes this encounter all the more interesting. Argentina are fifth in South American qualifying and, as it stands, need a play-off to reach the World Cup next summer. Sampaoli has been brought in to avoid that. Back Argentina to win in Uruguay @ 2.34.
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