Opposed to the weak Gibraltar, France must not go into details and intends to chain a third consecutive victory in the qualifiers for Euro 2024, before turning to Greece. Follow with us, as soon as the match kicks off.
It will float like the air of the Coupe de France in Faro, in the south of Portugal. This scent of an exotic meeting between two footballers who know each other but don’t usually see each other. On the one hand, France, its stars and its two stars of world champion, passed very close to the Holy Grail last December in Qatar. On the other, Gibraltar, a dwarf selection, recognized only in 2016 by FIFA, semi-professional players and still looking for a first victory in an official competition. The luck of the draw placed the vice-world champions and the Gibraltarians in the same qualifying group for Euro 2024, offering a match of all imbalances.
Regardless of the obvious differences, Didier Deschamps warned his players about this trip to Portugal, Gibraltar not having been authorized to organize the match due to a lack of standard infrastructure. The tricolor coach knows only too well the difficulty of facing this kind of teams for having himself suffered on the ground in similar conditions. He will certainly not have forgotten this June 9, 1999 when the new world champions had all the trouble in the world to overcome Andorra, forcing the Andorran lock only five minutes from the end on a penalty from Franck Leboeuf. Also, Deschamps would like to avoid this kind of fear. “You have to have respect for Gibraltar,” said the coach ahead of the rally. A respect that is all the more important as what is at stake is real for the Blues, with this desire to continue the dynamic started in March against the Netherlands (4-0), while correcting the mistakes made in Ireland (1- 0). This last outing left a taste of unfinished business in Deschamps and his band with too many tactical and technical approximations.
To do so and even if “it’s never an ideal time”, he summoned his vital forces and will be able to rely on the desire of his captain Mbappé but also on the percussions of Kolo Muani and the ghost Dembélé. The big job should take place in the middle where Rabiot’s last minute package reshuffles the cards. Thus, Camavinga should get a chance to show that he is better than a spare left-back. We will scrutinize his behavior, he who has shown very good things this season in the Madrid midfield, where Ancelotti preferred him to Tchouaméni. The latter hopes to regain color with this gathering and lay the foundations for a next season more in line with his expectations and his qualities. This match should also be an opportunity to revive Pavard on the right flank of the tricolor defense, after a World Cup where he had to give way to Koundé. “The three points against Gibraltar have the same value as those against the Netherlands,” recalled the former coach of Olympique de Marseille.
These same Dutch that the Blues would be well advised to imitate. Indeed, they made short work of Gibraltar, confiscating the ball and shooting no less than 49 times for three goals scored. The ability of Mbappé and consort to find the fault will be the key to this unbalanced meeting. If the hosts manage to keep their clean sheet, then they will be able to make their opponents doubt, but a quick goal in the first half hour would settle everything and open the door to an attacking festival. In a press conference, Julio Cesar Ribas made no secret of the task that awaits his people. The Uruguayan coach estimates the chances of his team at 1%, made up essentially of the backbone of the Lincoln Red Imps, which has a participation in the Europa League Conference. A tiny percentage which nevertheless has the merit of existing and that the Blues will have to quickly annihilate by crushing the Gibraltarian selection to avoid ridicule and above all to obtain three essential points.
The third day of Euro 2024 qualifying between Gibraltar and France will start at around 8:45 p.m. at the Estadio do Algarve, Faro-Loué in Portugal.
The opposition between the Gibraltar of the Uruguayan Julio Ribas and France guided by Didier Deschamps will be to follow live, in clear and exclusively from 8:45 p.m. on TF1.
The match between Gibraltar and France will be available for streaming on the MyTF1 platform.
Betclic: Gibraltar: 75 / Draw: 25 / France: 1.01
Sports bets: Gibraltar: 65 / Draw: 20 / France: 1.01
Winamax: Gibraltar: 100 / Draw: 30 / France: 1.01
Gibraltar: Coeling – Torrilla, Sargeant, Olivero, Valarino – Chipolina, Casciaro, Bernardo Lopes – Britto, Coombes, Ronan.
France: Maignan – Pavard, Conte, Upamecano, Hernandez – Camavinga, Tchouamen, Griezmann – Dembele, Mbappe, Kolo Muani.
