France is ready to finally kick off Euro 2016. The host nation has been scoring goals for fun in previous friendlies, but can Les Bleus continue their scorching form in front of goal against Romania and its very solid defense in the tournament’s first game at the Stade de France?
Read on below for our complete preview of this Euro 2016 tournament opener. Meanwhile, check out our preview of Group B’s big game, England vs. Russia.
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France vs. Romania Preview
Where: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
When: Friday, June 10, 3:00 PM ET
Line: France -418 vs. Romania +890, tie +395; total: 2.5 – view all Euro 2016 lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN2
Betting on France (-418)
France will be in fine form heading into its Euro 2016 tournament opener. Les Bleus have won nine of their last 10 games, including their last four games in a row. They edged out Cameroon 3-2 in their first tune-up match last week, and rolled to an easy 3-0 win over Scotland.
In the absence of Karim Benzema, Giroud will lead a star-studded attack that includes Antoine Griezmann, who had a remarkable season with 32 goals for Atletico Madrid, on one side and either Dimitri Payet or Anthony Martial on the other. Kingsley Coman and Andre-Pierre Gignac are also game-changing weapons off the bench.
The defense will be a bit shaky with out-of-form Adil Rami possibly starting in place of the injured Raphael Varane at center-back. But Les Bleus have a terrific midfield trio in Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi and N’Golo Kante, who can protect the defense by dominating possession against Romania.
With a lion’s share of possession and superior talent in attack, the French should be able to eventually break down a resolute Romanian defense.
Betting on Romania (+890)
Romania had the perfect confidence-building result heading into the Euros after a 5-1 thrashing of Georgia. It was the team’s biggest win since beating Andorra 4-0 in 2013. They also scored three goals in a 4-3 defeat to the Ukraine.
No one’s expecting Romania to score with that same frequency in France, though. Despite their recent hot streak, the Romanians don’t have too many dependable scoring weapons to exploit a questionable French defense. They scored just 11 goals during 10 qualifying games, tied for the second fewest out of the teams that qualified.
However, the Tricolorii sure know how to defend. They gave up just two goals in 10 qualifying games, the best defensive record in Europe.
They will likely cede a lot of possession against France in the opener, but they have defensive solidity and organization to survive a potential onslaught from the hosts. They had just 28 percent of the ball against Spain in a friendly in March, and they managed to hang on for a 0-0 draw.
Writer’s Prediction
France (-418) gets off on the right foot with a 2-0 win over Romania.
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