Football Tips: Our 29/1 France v Ireland Bet Builder

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07 September 2023

Football Tips: Our 29/1 France v Ireland Bet Builder

France -1
Both Teams to Score, No
Over 7.5 France Corners
Kylian Mbappe to Score Anytime
Nathan Collins to have 1 or More Shots

A Bet Builder with these selections pays at approximately 29/1 with Paddy Power. .

France v Ireland

Euro 2024 Qualifier
Parc des Princes, 7:45pm
TV: Viaplay, RTE 2

France -1

Ireland’s slim chances of stealing a result in Paris appear to have evaporated following Evan Ferguson’s withdrawal through injury. Stephen Kenny’s side were always up against it against France, but the loss of their best player leaves them with a mountain to climb on Thursday night.

This is a free hit for Ireland, with France likely to beat all of their opponents home and away in qualifying. The hosts have won all four games in qualifying to date and can all but wrap up their qualification with a win on Thursday night.

To their credit, Ireland gave France a real test when the sides met in Dublin in March, but playing in Paris is a different story and the home side are more likely to produce a performance similar to the one that saw them thrash the Dutch 4-0 than the performance they produced in Dublin.

It’s difficult to see anything but a comfortable French win.

Both Teams to Score, No

Didier Deschamps’ side have won all four group games without conceding a goal, keeping clean sheets against every other team in the group.

They arguably came closest to conceding against Ireland in Dublin, when Kenny’s men launched a late assault on the French goal.
But Ireland are unlikely to cause the French too much trouble in the absence of Ferguson and it’s difficult to see how they will create goalscoring opportunities against a side that has faced nine shots on target in qualifying.

France will dominate possession and territory and Ireland will spend large parts of the game on the back foot. Goalscoring opportunities could be few and far between for the Boys in Green.

Over 7.5 France Corners

Ireland are set to concede a lot of corners if their previous away game is anything to go by. Kenny’s men conceded 10 corners in their 2-1 defeat to Greece, with most of them coming in the opening ten minutes. Assuming Ireland can frustrate France for long enough for the French to lay siege to the Irish goal, they are likely to come under significant pressure on Thursday night.

France have enjoyed at least 66% of the ball in their games against the three lowest ranked teams in Group B and will almost certainly enjoy such control against Ireland.

The French average over 18 shots per game and there is every chance that they will build up a large number of corners on Thursday.

Kylian Mbappe to Score Anytime

Kylian Mbappe had made a relatively slow start to the season with PSG, scoring one goal from the penalty spot in his opening two league games. However, Mbappe has now scored back-to-back braces in PSG’s wins over Lens and Lyon and looks to have rediscovered his sharpness in front of goal.

Mbappe was anonymous in France’s hard-fought win over Ireland in Dublin, but he was electric in their 4-0 demolition of the Netherlands and has scored in every other group game – albeit from the penalty spot against both Greece and Gibraltar.

There is not much that Ireland can do to stop Mbappe if the French star is up for it on Thursday and there is every chance that he will find the back of the net.

Nathan Collins to have 1 or More Shots

Nathan Collins is fast becoming Ireland’s new Shane Duffy in the sense that he is a towering centre back who also happens to be one of their biggest goal threats. It was Collins who was denied by a stunning save by Mike Maignan in the dying moments of Ireland’s 1-0 defeat to France in March and the Brentford centre back also drew Ireland level in the 2-1 defeat to Greece in June.

Collins is by far the most adventurous of the Irish centre backs and could feasibly try his luck at some point on Thursday night. Considering Ireland’s best hope of troubling the French goal is via a set piece, Collins is a good bet to have at least one effort on goal.

He will be Ireland’s target man for set pieces, especially in Ferguson’s absence, and may just get on the end of a corner or free kick.

France -1
Both Teams to Score, No
Over 7.5 France Corners
Kylian Mbappe to Score Anytime
Nathan Collins to have 1 or More Shots

A Bet Builder with these selections pays at approximately 29/1 with Paddy Power. .

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.