Betting odds France

Manager: Raymond Domenech
Captain: Thierry Henry
FIFA World Ranking: 10
World Cup Appearances: 12
Best World Cup: Winners – 1998

France Article

France Team Profile

The 1998 World Cup winners will have high hopes of winning another World Cup in South African but, however, could count themselves lucky to even be in the tournament after they qualified not only via a play-off but also under controversial circumstances. The French beat the Republic of Ireland 2-1, although their eventual winners didn’t come until late into extra-time and it was adied via the hand of Thierry Henry before William Galls nodded home to send France to South Africa, at the expense of a glum ROI.

Henry’s part in France qualifying sparked uproar amongst not only with the Irish FA but also with neutrals from all around the globe, and France might not be welcomed as warmly as some of the other European nations in South Africa. To add to the hostility, even the French supporters aren’t best pleased with their squad of underachievers as their displays in qualifying where bewilderingly bad at times, and the fact that it took a dubious goal to seal their qualification doesn’t sit well with the French fans, as they’ve had it in for Raymond Domenech for a while now, pretty much ever since their poor showing at Euro 2008 at which France didn’t even make it pass the group stage of the competition.

The French, though, remain a big contender for the crown regardless of their lacklustre qualifying campaign. Their squad is jam-packed with world class quality, whilst they generally tend to do well on the big stage, with the exception of their poor showing in their last major event – the European Champions in 2008. They will have a big point to prove, though, not only after their disappointing 2008 but to also make amends for their sluggish campaign throughout qualifying, as many French fans have lost faith in Domenech’s regime.

Nickname: Les Bleus (The Blues)

France Key Players

We’ll start with their influential captain, although in fairness Thierry Henry has done little to raise the morale in the France camp of late despite lending a helping hand… literally!

The French captain is the all-time leading scorer for his country with 51 goals in 118 appearances which, considering he looks as though he might carry on playing for France for a couple more years, could see him notch up a few more international caps before he hangs his boots up. There is no doubting the Va-va-voom star used to have unenviable talent when he was at Arsenal, enjoying arguably the best spell of his career in England, but since joining Barcelona, Henry hasn’t been the same and certainly hasn’t been as instrumental for France as fans would have hoped. Even so, Henry still has more going for himself than many others and remains a key player in the final third.

Now the final third, the attacking third, is where France look their strongest on paper yet so often you hear about France struggling to convert their array of striking options into regular goals, even against the smaller fish. Up front Domenech could take any number of forwards to South Africa with him; Djibril Cisse – enjoying one of his best spells in his career in Greece currently and his pace could be useful even if his finishing has never been clinical. Nicolas Anelka is unquestionably the best forward France have right now but even Les Sulk is going through a patchy spell at the moment, with goals drying up at the latter end of the season with Chelsea, so their pivotal forward doesn’t exactly come to South Africa with bags of momentum and confidence, and Anelka has always been a confidence sort of guy. The new guy on the scene comes in the form of a bulky forward, not in the mould of any previous France forwad stars in Andre-Pierre Gignac, who finished last season as Ligue 1′s top goalscorer and has already scored some crucial goals for France in qualifying.

The midfield is where the magic will hopefully take place; Franck Ribery, Yoann Gourcuff, Hatem Ben Afra and an in form Florent Malouda. Every single one of those named can make a real difference for France. Gourcuff is a fantastic crosser of the ball while he also boasts fantastic awareness and vision in a player-maker role, Malouda is a menace down the left flank and will be a thorn in most right-backs side, while former Marseille man, Franck Ribery, could really make the difference in South Africa providing he puts his off-pitch dramas to one side and concentrates more on his football. We must not forget Lassana Diarra and Jeremy Toulanan, who both play a pivotal role in that famous France defensive-midfielder slot.

In goal we have a talented Hugo Lloris, who has been excelling in France with Lyon and really does look a talented prospect for the future. His defence, however, does leave a lot to be believed with Patrice Evra the only reliable defender in front of Lloris. The positives about France’s defence is Evra and Cissokho are great at getting forward and providing a threat down the wings. However, this does leave them vulnerable on the counter while they’ve yet to really find a centre-back partnership which really works. The defence is a troublesome area for the French and could very well be their achilles heel in South Africa.

Strengths

The amount of quality Raymond Domench has at his disposal is bewildering yet to achieve so little with them in recent competitions is baffling. We could go on and on quoting world-class players that play for France; Theirry Henry (Captain) the all-time leading French goalscorer, Franck Ribery, Nicolas Anelka, all are established footballers in the modern game but when they take to the field for France, they just don’t seem to click. Hopefully that will change in South Africa, only time will tell.

Weaknesses

The problem we can see arising is when France need a goal, at that will arise at some point believe you me, we wouldn’t have any confidence in France lifting their game and asserting a bit of pressure on their opponents. They’ll be times when they need to raise their game and race through the gears, and while they do have the inventory to do such a feat, they never do. Moreover, the French are accustomed to disappointing us and their French followers these days, so another lacklustre campaign in South Africa wouldn’t be at all surprising.

France Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: Europe

Group: 7

Position: 2nd (Qualified via a 2-1 victory over Republic of Ireland in a play-off)

Win-Draw-Lose: 6-3-1

Goals Scored: 18

Goals Conceded: 9

France Qualifying statistics:

• France had to rely on a wide-spread of goalscorers to get them through an awkward group 7 , with Gignac & Henry sharing the top goalscorer honour with just four goals each.
• Austria were the only nation to beat France during qualifying, with Domenech’s under fire France losing their opening qualifier 3-1 in Vienna.
• France ended the group unbeaten in nine before losing 1-0 at home to Republic of Ireland in the qualifiers, a defeat which ended an unbeaten run of 10 for France.
• Over half of France’s victories in qualifying came via a NIL scoreline, so a tidy defence has been the basis for their successful qualification bid.
• Only Thierry Henry and Bakari Sagna played every qualifier, including the two-legged play-off with ROI. 

World Cup Potential: 3/5

France aren’t high up on our list of possible outright winners but they will be a contender nevertheless. They have a host of big names which can turn any match on it’s head and decide the huge encounters with one gifted strike of the ball. They are a team that will need to hit the ground running, though, and a sluggish start could spell the end before the tournament has even got into it’s stride, although, the last time France won their opening game was back in 1998. The same year France went on to record their first ever World Cup outright win. An outside chance certainly, but others with stronger claims are preferred.

France World Cup Betting Odds

France to win the World Cup: 100/1 – SportingBet

Before the World Cup the odds on France were 18/1 

Official France World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Hugo Lloris (Olympique Lyon)

Steve Mandanda (Olympique Marseille)

Cédric Carrasso (Girondins Bordeaux)

Defenders

Anthony Réveillère (Olympique Lyon)

Bacary Sagna (Arsenal)

William Gallas (Arsenal)

Gaël Clichy (Arsenal)

Éric Abidal (Barcelona)

Sébastien Squillaci (Seville)

Patrice Evra (Manchester United)

Marc Planus (Girondins Bordeaux)

Midfielders

Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich)

Jéremy Toulalan (Olympique Lyon)

Alou Diarra (Girondins Bordeaux)

Florent Malouda (Chelsea)

Yoann Gourcuff (Girondins Bordeaux)

Abou Diaby (Arsenal)

Sidney Govou (Olympique Lyon)

Mathieu Valbuena (Olympique Marseille)

Strikers

Thierry Henry (Barcelona)

Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea)

Djibril Cissé (Panathinaikos Athen)

André-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 France Fixtures – Group A

World Cup 2010 Group A - Table

World Cup Fixtures and Results

France

The scenario for both France and South Africa is clear. Both need a good win, and both need someone to turn out victorious in the other Group A match of Mexico v Uruguay. Not only that, because France and South Africa have poor goal differences, they would also need Mexico or Uruguay to win quite heavily. It doesn’t paid a pretty, or a hopeful picture for either, but neither side are doing their own hopes much favours at the moment. It is Les Miserables for the French at the moment, after they suffered a bruising defeat against Mexico in their second group match. There was further bad news for the French, after a dressing room bust up at half time, which resulted in Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka firing off a tirade of expletives at his coach, apparently. Anelka was subsequently sent home after refusing to apologise. This was all because, according to Domenech, Anelka had been wandering out of position and was the cause of the problems with the team. It seems a little harsh as the other twelve players who took part in the match on the night, didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory.

In a way, it is a fitting end to the reign of Raymond Domenech, who has never been a popular figure with French fans, nor, at times, the French players themselves. He is a controversial figure, and many believe he was never the right choice in the first place to take charge of the national side. It is all coming to an end though for Domenech, as Laurent Blanc takes over at the end of the World Cup. There have been reports that Domenech had a bust up with Anelka’s Chelsea team mate Florent Malouda on the training ground, a player who Domenech has not shown a lot of faith in. The Chelsea winger had to sit on the bench for their opening fixture as Domenech tinkered with the team again. Domenech also decided to drop Yoann Gourcuff from the starting eleven against Mexico, even though the youngster is regarded to be the most creatively influential ace in their midfield pack. The quality of players France have in their squad, suggests that they are capable of so much more, and this could be a very sorry ending to their World Cup dreams.

France World Cup betting. Should France beat South Africa? You would look at their FIFA rankings and the competitive football which has been played over the last twelve months and you would still have to say yes. If a team is going to edge the match on quality then it will be France. But are the players really interested? They will miss Toulalan, who is suspended, and who knows what Domenech will do for the final match. He may even drop more of his stars, just to make a statement. If the game comes down to heart and playing for a bit of pride, then France may again, leave the match empty handed. They would probably be happy with a draw, if they cared, so find something that reflects that, like a short Asian Handicap, or straight outright draw.

France World Cup 2010 Stats
Played: P2, W0, D1, L1
GF/GA: 0/2
Cards: Y5, R0
Most Shots: Nicolas Anelka, 8
Top Scorer: N/A
Shots/On Goal: 31/7
Fouls Committed: 43
Total Passes: 1013
Pass Completion: 69%

South Africa

South Africa have not lived up to the expectations of a host nation, but maybe they have fulfilled exactly what was expected of them. The Bafana Bafana, coached by Carlos Alberto Parreira, were expected to have their hands full before the World Cup started, but after they took a point out of their opening match, expectations naturally began to rise. Lo and behold, they had a point, and they were actually ahead in the match, but after a crushing 3-0 defeat by Uruguay in their second match, it seems as if that opening night was fuelled mainly be adrenalin. South Africa looked completely out of their depth against Uruguay, for who, ex Manchester United striker Diego Forlan hit a brace. The Bafana Bafana were simply not at the races on that night, and the defeat has left then scrapping it out for the wooden spoon along with France in Group A. Mathematically they can still qualify, but the need to beat France well for starters, and even that is hard to see happening. Even though France look dejected and falling apart at the seams, the quality in depth in South African football is not there, and that was as clear as day against Uruguay.

The Bafana Bafana will play with a lot of heart in their final group match, hoping to give the home crowds something to cheer about. It is this alone which may be able to raise them up to get the win over a downtrodden French side, but as with any football match, you still need the quality to pull it off. There is an air of parity about this match, France edging the quality, South Africa edging the passion. Put it all together and you will probably have a draw, even though both teams should be going for gold and hoping that a win, which offers a slight chance of qualification, will come their way .This is the World Cup after all, and there are bound to be some more twists. South Africa, if they fail, will become the first host nation ever to not make it to the second round of the tournament. That is a cruel claim to fame for them to have on their shoulders, as they are a nation with heart and pride. Sadly, the football standards, simply are not good enough.

South Africa World Cup betting. If the French cannot pick themselves up off the floor, then South Africa have every chance of nicking this one. They will probably be the liveliest of the two, so look at a Draw No Bet on them may be worth a look at. Otherwise find a nice Asian handicap, probably around no more than +1 for some decent value, and hope that they can at least get a draw out of the proceedings and leave the competition with their heads held high.

South Africa World Cup 2010 Stats
Played: P2, W0, D1, L1
GF/GA: 1/4
Cards: Y4, R0
Most Shots: Three players, 4
Top Scorer: Siphiwe Tshabalala
Shots/On Goal: 19/8
Fouls Committed: 31
Total Passes: 931
Pass Completion: 73%

France v South Africa Betting Odds

France to win: 11/10 at Bet365
Draw: 13/5 at Ladbrokes
South Africa to win: 3/1 at Totesport

Asian Handicap Betting Tip: Not too much in terms of decent value floating around on this one, simply because the bookmakers are unsure of which France is going to turn up. France should still edge the match from a betting point of view, but they still don’t have a lot of goals in them. So backing South Africa in a plus may be a bit safer than taking France as a minus.
South Africa +0.50 for 8/11 at  Paddy Power
 

South Africa V France Odds:

World Cup Group A Teams: France, Mexico, Uruguay and South Africa. The curtain raiser for the 2010 World Cup, is the fixture between host nation South Africa and Mexico. South Africa will have a lot of hype surrounding them, not to mention the hopes of the Rainbow Nation. But, when betting on the World Cup there is no room for any sentiments, as you simply want to make your wagers work the hardest for you. While they may not be a strong team, that does not mean that there is not potential for winning money, as you should consider betting on the weaker nations to be the best at being worst. Here in a series of previews of World Cup bets, we preview the top five best value World Cup Bets for Group A.

Group A Outright Winner: France Evens at SkyBet
There is a huge amount of uncertainty about the chances that France have of getting anywhere in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. But even with all of coach Raymond Domenech’s tinkering with the players and formation, there is a sense of inevitability about Group A. It is clearly not the toughest group in the World Cup, and there is much whispering in betting circles about some of the biggest upsets occurring in this group, simply because of the French. But France still remain firm outrights to win the group, and they actually represent good value to do that, simply because there is doubt over them. They are the experienced team full of World Cup heritage in Group A, and as much as there may be hints of upsets, it is hard to look beyond France winning the group. Here is the thing though, it may not be as straight forward as they would hope, but that doesn’t mean that they will not win it. The French have changed to a more attacking formation, and that could give them the edge they need. They are not a solid, accomplished team by any stretch of the imagination. Mexico probably are the biggest threat to them, a Mexico side who beat Italy in an international friendly as part of their build up. England beat them though without playing very well. What it boils down to, is that France do have the big time players and that just gives them the edge, however hard they may be pushed.

South Africa to Finish Bottom: 5/4 at SkyBet
The poor South African’s are in serious threat of becoming the first host nation in World Cup history not to reach the second round. They are actually on a long unbeaten run, scrapping for results wherever they go. They do show some stubbornness in their approach, but their tactical plan of playing with wing backs, means that they are easily picked off if teams sit back against them and catch them on the break. The South Africans have only been playing International Friendly matches, and while it is to their credit still that they have not been beaten, they are likely to find the level at the World Cup beyond them. The World Cup needs its hosts to stay in the competition as long as possible, and that could just be for three games unfortunately. Even if they scrape their way to three drawn matches, it does not look as if it will be enough to get them off the bottom, because the other three teams look like they are all capable of beating each other. Uruguay and Mexico looked evenly matched in World Cup Odds just behind France, and that leaves South Africa flailing in the group.

To Qualify Mexico: Evens at Paddy Power
Mexico recently beat Italy in an International Friendly as part of their warm up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and while there are weaknesses there, there looks enough potential to get through to the second round. They showed against England that they could keep the ball well, but looked a little slack at the back. If they can tighten that up, then they may even push for the top spot in the group with France not being particularly strong. Betting on Mexico at the World Cup makes for some interesting reading, with some profit there to be garnered. The expected outcome is for France to top the group, and then have a scrap for second between Mexico and Uruguay. There does not appear to be too much between them, but the majority of World Cup betting will lean towards Mexico, as Uruguay have been very quiet in their approach to the tournament. Because they are close with Uruguay, any bet at around Evens for a team to qualify is very good value.

Most Group Stage Goals Scored: Uruguay 3/1 at Bwin
They have Diego Forlan in their ranks, and it is worth looking at Uruguay in this market. They should have the beating of South Africa, and should be able to find the holes in the Mexican and French defences. That’s not to say that they do not have frailties at the back of their own, but that doesn’t matter for this bet clearly. They scored 28 goals in 18 qualification games in the South American qualification zone, at an average of 1.56 goals per match. Mexico’s average was at 2.00 during qualification but they were in a much weaker zone, so it all should even out.

Most Group Stage Goals Conceded: South Africa 13/10 at Bwin
This bet is based on value alone, and there looks enough sense to back it quite well. They are perceived to be the weakest team in the group, and there is nothing much at the back to stop the other teams in the group exposing them. There really is not a very strong defence in this group, and the host nation’s could be the worst of a bad bunch, and it is hard to see the other teams conceding more than them overall.
 

After discussing the potential which lies in betting on World Cup dark horses in the group stages, as opposed to the Outright Winner market, there are some teams better positioned to go all of the way. South Africa 2010 will be the nineteenth time that the World Cup has been staged, and there has been just seven different winners. Brazil, Italy, England, Uruguay, France, Germany and Argentina. Looking at World Cup Odds for this year’s tournament, Spain are leading the way as favourites, and there is every chance that there will be a new name on the trophy come the end of the Final on July 11th. But will it be the one which everyone suspects it will be? Is there a hint of a chance that one of the other outsiders, especially from the strong chasing European pack, will grab all of the headlines. Here we take a look at some of the teams who are out in the teens when it comes to World Cup betting.

France
Failed to win their European qualification group, but did squeeze into the finals thanks to a controversial play-off victory against the Republic of Ireland. The players of the team which reached the finals of the last world cup, have largely departed international duty, names like Lilian Thuram and Zinedine Zidane. The ones that are back again to represent Les Blues, are starting to fall into the veteran category, with the likes of Thierry Henry there. What will this do to their chances? Coached by Raymond Domenech, there is a certain air of unpredictability about the French. At times during qualification, and friendly matches, they have looked disjointed and without direction. Domenech is not the most popular choice with fans, but he will again persevere with his own ways of tinkering with things. The plusses for France, is that they have world class goalkeeper in Hugo Lloris, and he falls among some quality youth that they do have at their disposal. Frank Ribery is the stand out star, along with the quality that Real Madrid’s Lassana Diarra is able to bring to the table, along with Gourcuff. They have the ability to present a class midfield, but whether Domenech has the right hand to get them to play together is another thing entirely. Still, they are there in the mix, and they were favoured with a relatively easy draw, against Mexico, Uruguay and hosts South Africa. Could be in line for a Quarter Final showdown with England if things go to plan. That would be winnable, and once you are in the semi finals, perhaps pedigree of a nation does take over.

Holland
Could the orange of Holland be dancing in the streets of Johannesburg at the final whistle of the World Cup final? They have been strong in the FIFA World rankings, and they came through European Qualification without so much as breaking a sweat. They maintained a 100% record in their group, showing dominance and flair, and that carried through in friendly against England’s first opponents, the USA. As with Dutch teams of past tournaments, they have the ability. No-one questions that, and it was visible during qualification. But the question mark which hangs above the Dutch, as always, is one of consistency. Are they consistent enough? They have not really been tested against strong opposition, being drawn in a fairly weak qualification group, which did contain Scotland and Iceland. In a drawn friendly against England last year, they showed the true two sides of their personality. The likes of Wesley Sneijder, Robin Van Perise and Arjen Robben really could elevate them this time around, and they have every chance of backing up the bookmakers odds of winning their group. They have to compete against Cameroon, Denmark and Japan, none of which should strike any fear into a Holland side on top of their game. Should avoid too much trouble in the World Cup fixtures until they get to the quarter finals, where Brazil will probably await them.

Italy
Yes, the defending champions are back in the running when it comes to World Cup odds. Why look at betting on Italy at the World Cup? It is a little inexplicable, and the only explanation is they are perceived to be an aging team, and that Brazil and Spain are so strong, no-one else is really going to be in with any kind of chance whatsoever. However, they are guided by such a strong hand in Marcelo Lippi, that they cannot be discounted. No-one really expected them to win the last tournament due to the strengths of Brazil, but they did, beating the French in the final. They are not essentially and old team, and neither are they really packed full of household names. But any Italian side will go out and do their defensive duties to the best of their abilities. Their defence will come under some scrutiny against the attacking Paraguay side, and could well have their hands full with Slovakia as well. They will come up against some tests in their group, and if successes are gained against those, then it could well set them up for the latter rounds. Italians have strong defence, good technical ability, if lacking a little flair. Very strong on the tactical side, and despite being labelled as old, they have the legs to go all the way in the tournament, and equal Brazil’s record. Lippi has left out the likes of Del Piero and Totti, and that sends something of a statement that they faith in players beyond their big name veterans. They should meet Spain in the Quarter Finals, perhaps the team best suited to quelling the attacking power of the World Cup favourites.

Manager: Raymond Domenech
Captain: Thierry Henry
FIFA World Ranking: 10
World Cup Appearances: 12
Best World Cup: Winners – 1998

France Article

France Team Profile

The 1998 World Cup winners will have high hopes of winning another World Cup in South African but, however, could count themselves lucky to even be in the tournament after they qualified not only via a play-off but also under controversial circumstances. The French beat the Republic of Ireland 2-1, although their eventual winners didn’t come until late into extra-time and it was adied via the hand of Thierry Henry before William Galls nodded home to send France to South Africa, at the expense of a glum ROI.

Henry’s part in France qualifying sparked uproar amongst not only with the Irish FA but also with neutrals from all around the globe, and France might not be welcomed as warmly as some of the other European nations in South Africa. To add to the hostility, even the French supporters aren’t best pleased with their squad of underachievers as their displays in qualifying where bewilderingly bad at times, and the fact that it took a dubious goal to seal their qualification doesn’t sit well with the French fans, as they’ve had it in for Raymond Domenech for a while now, pretty much ever since their poor showing at Euro 2008 at which France didn’t even make it pass the group stage of the competition.

The French, though, remain a big contender for the crown regardless of their lacklustre qualifying campaign. Their squad is jam-packed with world class quality, whilst they generally tend to do well on the big stage, with the exception of their poor showing in their last major event – the European Champions in 2008. They will have a big point to prove, though, not only after their disappointing 2008 but to also make amends for their sluggish campaign throughout qualifying, as many French fans have lost faith in Domenech’s regime.

Nickname: Les Bleus (The Blues)

France Key Players

We’ll start with their influential captain, although in fairness Thierry Henry has done little to raise the morale in the France camp of late despite lending a helping hand… literally!

The French captain is the all-time leading scorer for his country with 51 goals in 118 appearances which, considering he looks as though he might carry on playing for France for a couple more years, could see him notch up a few more international caps before he hangs his boots up. There is no doubting the Va-va-voom star used to have unenviable talent when he was at Arsenal, enjoying arguably the best spell of his career in England, but since joining Barcelona, Henry hasn’t been the same and certainly hasn’t been as instrumental for France as fans would have hoped. Even so, Henry still has more going for himself than many others and remains a key player in the final third.

Now the final third, the attacking third, is where France look their strongest on paper yet so often you hear about France struggling to convert their array of striking options into regular goals, even against the smaller fish. Up front Domenech could take any number of forwards to South Africa with him; Djibril Cisse – enjoying one of his best spells in his career in Greece currently and his pace could be useful even if his finishing has never been clinical. Nicolas Anelka is unquestionably the best forward France have right now but even Les Sulk is going through a patchy spell at the moment, with goals drying up at the latter end of the season with Chelsea, so their pivotal forward doesn’t exactly come to South Africa with bags of momentum and confidence, and Anelka has always been a confidence sort of guy. The new guy on the scene comes in the form of a bulky forward, not in the mould of any previous France forwad stars in Andre-Pierre Gignac, who finished last season as Ligue 1′s top goalscorer and has already scored some crucial goals for France in qualifying.

The midfield is where the magic will hopefully take place; Franck Ribery, Yoann Gourcuff, Hatem Ben Afra and an in form Florent Malouda. Every single one of those named can make a real difference for France. Gourcuff is a fantastic crosser of the ball while he also boasts fantastic awareness and vision in a player-maker role, Malouda is a menace down the left flank and will be a thorn in most right-backs side, while former Marseille man, Franck Ribery, could really make the difference in South Africa providing he puts his off-pitch dramas to one side and concentrates more on his football. We must not forget Lassana Diarra and Jeremy Toulanan, who both play a pivotal role in that famous France defensive-midfielder slot.

In goal we have a talented Hugo Lloris, who has been excelling in France with Lyon and really does look a talented prospect for the future. His defence, however, does leave a lot to be believed with Patrice Evra the only reliable defender in front of Lloris. The positives about France’s defence is Evra and Cissokho are great at getting forward and providing a threat down the wings. However, this does leave them vulnerable on the counter while they’ve yet to really find a centre-back partnership which really works. The defence is a troublesome area for the French and could very well be their achilles heel in South Africa.

Strengths

The amount of quality Raymond Domench has at his disposal is bewildering yet to achieve so little with them in recent competitions is baffling. We could go on and on quoting world-class players that play for France; Theirry Henry (Captain) the all-time leading French goalscorer, Franck Ribery, Nicolas Anelka, all are established footballers in the modern game but when they take to the field for France, they just don’t seem to click. Hopefully that will change in South Africa, only time will tell.

Weaknesses

The problem we can see arising is when France need a goal, at that will arise at some point believe you me, we wouldn’t have any confidence in France lifting their game and asserting a bit of pressure on their opponents. They’ll be times when they need to raise their game and race through the gears, and while they do have the inventory to do such a feat, they never do. Moreover, the French are accustomed to disappointing us and their French followers these days, so another lacklustre campaign in South Africa wouldn’t be at all surprising.

France Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: Europe

Group: 7

Position: 2nd (Qualified via a 2-1 victory over Republic of Ireland in a play-off)

Win-Draw-Lose: 6-3-1

Goals Scored: 18

Goals Conceded: 9

France Qualifying statistics:

• France had to rely on a wide-spread of goalscorers to get them through an awkward group 7 , with Gignac & Henry sharing the top goalscorer honour with just four goals each.
• Austria were the only nation to beat France during qualifying, with Domenech’s under fire France losing their opening qualifier 3-1 in Vienna.
• France ended the group unbeaten in nine before losing 1-0 at home to Republic of Ireland in the qualifiers, a defeat which ended an unbeaten run of 10 for France.
• Over half of France’s victories in qualifying came via a NIL scoreline, so a tidy defence has been the basis for their successful qualification bid.
• Only Thierry Henry and Bakari Sagna played every qualifier, including the two-legged play-off with ROI. 

World Cup Potential: 3/5

France aren’t high up on our list of possible outright winners but they will be a contender nevertheless. They have a host of big names which can turn any match on it’s head and decide the huge encounters with one gifted strike of the ball. They are a team that will need to hit the ground running, though, and a sluggish start could spell the end before the tournament has even got into it’s stride, although, the last time France won their opening game was back in 1998. The same year France went on to record their first ever World Cup outright win. An outside chance certainly, but others with stronger claims are preferred.

France World Cup Betting Odds

France to win the World Cup: 100/1 – SportingBet

Before the World Cup the odds on France were 18/1 

Official France World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Hugo Lloris (Olympique Lyon)

Steve Mandanda (Olympique Marseille)

Cédric Carrasso (Girondins Bordeaux)

Defenders

Anthony Réveillère (Olympique Lyon)

Bacary Sagna (Arsenal)

William Gallas (Arsenal)

Gaël Clichy (Arsenal)

Éric Abidal (Barcelona)

Sébastien Squillaci (Seville)

Patrice Evra (Manchester United)

Marc Planus (Girondins Bordeaux)

Midfielders

Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich)

Jéremy Toulalan (Olympique Lyon)

Alou Diarra (Girondins Bordeaux)

Florent Malouda (Chelsea)

Yoann Gourcuff (Girondins Bordeaux)

Abou Diaby (Arsenal)

Sidney Govou (Olympique Lyon)

Mathieu Valbuena (Olympique Marseille)

Strikers

Thierry Henry (Barcelona)

Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea)

Djibril Cissé (Panathinaikos Athen)

André-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 France Fixtures – Group A

World Cup Group A - Table

World Cup Fixtures and Results

World Cup Group of France