Preview: France vs. Republic of Ireland
France will be looking to preserve their perfect start in Group B of Euro 2024 qualifying when they welcome Republic of Ireland to Parc des Princes on Thursday evening.
The Boys in Green will be seeking revenge against Les Blues after suffering a slender 1-0 defeat in Dublin in the reverse fixture in March, courtesy of a stunning strike from Benjamin Pavard.
Nearly seven months have passed since France suffered a heartbreaking World Cup final defeat on penalties to Argentina in Qatar, and Didier Deschamps’s side have responded well by putting together a four-game winning streak in Euro 2024 qualifying.
Les Bleus are one of only four European nations who still boast a 100% record in Euro 2024 qualifying having picked up maximum points against Netherlands, Republic of Ireland, Gibraltar and Greece, scoring nine goals and keeping four clean sheets in the process.
France edged past Greece by a 1-0 scoreline in their most recent match in June, with captain Kylian Mbappe scoring a retaken penalty in the second half to become the highest-scoring Frenchman for club and country in a single season.
Deschamps’s men are on course to qualify for their ninth successive European Championships and can move one step closer to securing top spot in Group B with victory on Thursday against an Ireland side whom they have not lost against in their last seven meetings in all competitions.
Since losing 1-0 at home to Croatia in the UEFA Nations League in June 2022, France have won their last three home matches without conceding, while they have not lost any of their last 11 home encounters against Ireland.
Les Bleus’ last match at Parc des Princes was certainly one to remember as they thrashed Kazakhstan 8-0 in a World Cup qualifier in November 2021 in which Mbappe scored four goals.
Preview: France vs. Rep. Ireland – prediction, team news, lineups
After failing to qualify for Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup, Republic of Ireland made a slow start to Euro 2024 qualifying as they suffered back-to-back defeats in their opening two fixtures against France and Greece.
However, Stephen Kenny’s side got their first three points on the board when they beat European minnows Gibraltar 3-0 at the Aviva Stadium in June courtesy of goals from Mikey Johnston, Evan Ferguson and Adam Idah.
With five qualifiers still to play, the Boys in Green remain in contention to secure a top-two spot in Group B, but they will be aware that the Netherlands – who face Kenny’s side in Dublin on Sunday – have at least one game in hand on every other nation in the group.
Kenny is seeking consistency from his side as they have endured a patchy run of form over the last 18 months, winning six, drawing two and losing six of their last 14 internationals in all competitions.
Ireland’s away form also leaves a little to be desired as their only win in their last five on the road was against Matla (1-0) in November last year. Nevertheless, the Boys in Green have shown some fighting spirit on their travels as their last seven competitive away defeats have only been by a one-goal margin.
France Euro Champ Qualifying form:
WWWW
France form (all competitions):
WLWWWW
Republic of Ireland Euro Champ Qualifying form:
LLW
Republic of Ireland form (all competitions):
LWWLLW
We say: France 3-0 Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland frustrated France in spells during their last meeting six months ago and they will require another dogged display if they wish to claim a famous result in Paris.
However, Les Bleus are unsurprisingly regarded as favourites for this contest and the abundance of attacking quality at Deschamps’s disposal should help fire his side to another victory in qualifying.