Betting on France at the World Cup 2010

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

World Cup Betting Group A Odds

Tuesday will see the first group settled, and the first places booked in the second round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. There seems little doubt as to which two teams it will be going through, but in what order remains to be seen. Uruguay top Group A on goal difference over Mexico, and those two go up against each other Monday with both sides only needing a win to progress. But both teams will want to push on for the win, as top spot in the group will mean avoiding the in form Argentina in the second round of the tournament. That means there is a lot to play for between the Central and South American teams. But there is another scenario which could happen, and that is seeing France or South Africa scrape in to second place. That would only happen if the Uruguay v Mexico match ends in a heavy win for one of the teams, and it will also need the winner of the France v South Africa match to win well, for goal difference needs to be overcome. Is there another twist in this fascinating World Cup?

Group A Standings
Uruguay: P2, W1, D1, L0, GF3, GA0, Pts 4
Mexico: P2, W1, D1, L0, GF3, GA1, Pts 4
France: P2, W0, D1, L1, GF0, GA2, Pts 1
South Africa: P2, W0, D1, L1, GF 1, GA4, Pts 1

To Win Group A
Uruguay: 2/7 at Bet365
Mexico: 12/5 at Paddy Power

To Qualify From Group A
Uruguay: 1/33 at SkyBet
Mexico: 1/19 at Bwin
France: 14/1 at Ladbrokes
South Africa 33/1 at Blue Square

Match Odds
France to win: 13/10 at BetFred
Draw: 12/5 at SkyBet
South Africa: 2/1 at Boylesports

Match Odds
Mexico to win: 3/1 at SkyBet
Draw: 4/5 at Bet365
Uruguay to win: 18/5 at SportingBet
 

World Cup betting will have had a lot of mixed reactions to the victory which France produced over Costa Rica in their recent World Cup warm up match. For most people watching, France struggled tremendously to get a grip on the game, and the system which they were playing. Domenech, who is known for tinkering and changing his mind over his teams, again tried an experimentation with his formation in order to try and add a little extra fire power to his side. Domenech utilised star player Franck Ribery out of position on the right hand side, but instead of igniting a performance of passion and pace, it was a labouring victory in which the only positives France will be able to take, is the effort that the players put into trying something new, even if it looked completely unconvincing as a whole. There were some periods of improved attacking play, but on a whole, France looked vulnerable to the threats of a good team. If they do win their group and progress, they could likely face England in the Quarter Finals.

Looking at the set up of France, there is some apparent potential for winning some wagers with World Cup Odds that are betting against France. While the French will be favourite to win Group A, over Mexico, Uruguay and hosts South Africa, there is enough disruption in the French side to cause themselves major problems. Mexico showed in a recent friendly against England, that they can keep the ball well, and be dangerous with their pace down the flanks and in turning the opponents defence. This could be a big problem for France, who are not blessed with the greatest defence. Uruguay, will have been flying under the radar a bit, but have potential to upset France, simply by playing an up tempo game. There is real potential for landing an outside bet here, as France will still be ahead of their opposition in invdividual match betting. Uruguay has the best chance to catch them cold in their opener. While the French battled to beat Costa Rica, they couldn’t do the same against North African side Tunisia, in their penultimate International Friendly before the World Cup. Again they had to fight their way back from a deficit, but this time could only manage a 1-1 draw.

This will have caused more headaches for anyone thinking of betting on France at the World Cup as they look to be on shaky ground, and lacking a direction. Domenech, who has had more than his fair share of critics, will part from the international hot seat after the World Cup, with Laurent Blanc stepping into the national role ahead of the Euro 2012 qualification campaign. France look a jaded side already, and that may not put them in such a clear favourite role to win their group, so that is something to bear in mind when betting on the World Cup. While Domenech had allowed some freedom to be creative and attack against Costa Rica, and they looked more fluent than in most of World Cup qualification, there was still a disjointed look about them. Do the players know what system they are supposed to be playing? Saying that they have improved their attacking performance over the last two games, may fall on deaf ears of French supporters travelling to South Africa. But it should give hope to the tempatation of betting against France.

But there is a flip side to France’s less than ideal form. That is, they would make a great outside bet for the World Cup, as they have an unusually dogged approach to pulling out results without looking convincing. There is an air that Domenech does not really know what his best team is, and the French, with plenty of talent in their team, are searching for a system that works to the benefit of their strikers. Theirry Henry has been sitting out the large part of the International Friendly matches, with Chelsea’s Nicolas Anelka getting the staring starting role. With Franck Ribery in the side, and prodigal midfield talent Yoann Gourcuff, there is plenty there to work with. Gourcuff, at just 23, is looking like a World star, and could be one to shine and stand out for the French side. The Bordeaux star, linked with a move to Manchester United, is the vital component in the heart of the France midfield. Will Les Blues have the blues come the end of the group stages, or will they put together another less than impressive, but resilient run to the final? France start their World Cup fixtures against Uruguay on June 11th.

World Cup betting on France is seen as an outside bet at best, as the unpredictable side, guided by an unpredictable coach, remain out in the chasing pack of hopefuls. Now Arsenal defender William Gallas who recently crashed a racing buggy, has raised speculation over whether he will be fully fit for the 2010 FIFA World Cup or not. The French squad were letting their hair down and racing buggies around a course when Gallas took a corner too fast. The Frenchman wasn’t injured in the accident, but he is still nursing a calf injury, in which French boss Raymond Domenech is hopeful that he will recover from. Gallas is out of contact with Arsenal in the summer, and his calf injury is threatening to keep him out of action in South Africa. France take on Costa Rica on Wednesday night, and Domenech is not prepared to risk Gallas playing just yet. He knows how valuable Gallas is to the French set up, and will want to do everything in his power to get him on the plane to South Africa.

While there is hope for Gallas, all hopes have ended for France and Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra who has had to pull out of the tournament because of a stomach injury. Diarra’s withdrawal has now left Domenech with his 23 man squad, which includes Gallas, and that could be a serious blow for France’s World Cup Odds. Influential Diarra, who has been training with the French squad at altitude in Tignes, has to rest for an “indefinite period” picked up a stomach injury while on out on a trek, and it is serious enough to have ruled him out of contention for the final 23 man squad which Domenech needs to submit to FIFA on or before June 1st. Rules do allow adjustments to the official squads named on June 1st, but in all likelihood there is going to be no way for Diarra to make the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It could force Domenech into a slight reshuffle, as without their starting holding midfielder Diarra, France are down to just six midfielders left in the squad.

Arsenal’s Abou Diaby has been stepping into Diarra’s role during training, in what could be a big opportunity for the midfielder. Domenech famously dropped the ball by taking Patrick Vieira to Euro 2008 when he wasn’t fully fit, and who didn’t recover in time to play any part in the tournament whilst there. So, Domenech will probably learn from that mistake and not risk Diarra, but with Gallas being more of a borderline cash, an exception could be made. France go in Group A of the World Cup, opening their account against South American side  Uruguay. From there France’s World Cup fixtures sees them take on Mexico and hosts South Africa in a group which they are expected to win without much fuss. There is a strong possibility that the French will meet England at the quarter final stage, if both nations progress as expected after topping their respective groups.

Meanwhile, in other France news, star midfielder Franck Ribery has ended all speculation of a summer move to the Barclays Premier League, by signing a new contract with current club, Bayern Munich. Ribery has been head hunted by top English clubs including Manchester United, but showed his loyalty to the German side by penning a new contract with them. Bayern reached the final of the Champions League and completed a domestic double with the French league and cup. Now Ribery is expected to step onto the World Stage and confirm his superstar status at South Africa 2010. As for coach Domenech, the World Cup will be his last action in charge of the nation, as Laurent Blanc has confirmed that he will be taking over after a successful period at club side Bordeaux. France, who looked hopelessly outplayed in a friendly against World Cup favourites Spain in March, continue their preparations on Wednesday with an international friendly against Costa Rica.

France Pre World Cup Schedule
May 26th France v Costa Rica
May 30th Tunisia v France
June 4th France v China

France v Costa Rica Betting
France to win: 3/10 at Bet365
Draw: 4/1 at Coral
Costa Rica to win: 9/1 at Bet365

Current France 23 Man Squad
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris, Steve Mandanda, Cedric Carrasso
Defenders: Bacary Sagna, Patrice Evra, William Gallas, Eric Abidal, Sebastien Squillaci, Marc Planus, Gael Clichy, Anthony Reveillere
Midfielders: Alou Diarra, Jeremy Toulalan, Florent Malouda, Yoann Gourcuff, Abou Diaby, Franck Ribery
Forwards: Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka, Andre-Pierre Gignac, Sidney Govou, Djibril Cisse, Mathieu Valbuena
 

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