France vs Bulgaria
European Qualifiers – 2018 World Cup
Date: Friday, 7th October 2016
Kick-off: 19:45 UK
Venue: Saint-Denis, France.
Reason For Betting Tips
France didn’t get their World Cup qualification campaign off to the best of starts last month when they failed to score at Belarus and came away with a goalless draw from a very winnable match.
This followed on from a promising return from their failed Euro 2016 campaign which saw them beat Italy 3-1 away from home in a friendly. However, their heartbreak of losing to Portugal in the Euro 2016 final in Paris will still be felt.
Overall they are looking in good form though, with ten wins, two draws and one defeat in their last 13 matches. They also have one of the most talented young squads in world football, with the likes of Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Antoine Griezmann, Layvin Kurzawa, Raphael Varane, Aymeric Laport, and Kingsley Coman all already very good and all on the right side of 25. The upcoming World Cup is likely to see these players in their prime, and it could be their best chance at winning silverware in the near future.
France have to get through qualification first though. Their major contender for the top spot will be the Netherlands, but fortunately for France they failed to win their opening game as well.
In fact, the only side that got a win in the opening game were Bulgaria, who beat Luxembourg in a 4-3 thriller. France will be an entirely different test of their mettle though, and it would be a shock to see the visitors coming away from Paris with anything.
They finished 4th in their Euro 2016 qualifying group last year, with a significant nine point gap between them and 2nd placed Croatia. Overall Bulgaria have won four and lost five of their last nine games. Away from home they have won three, drawn one and lost six, including a 4-0 hammering by Denmark and a 7-2 thrashing from Japan in the Kirin Cup in the summer.
Discounting the Euro 2016 campaign, France have won their last six home games, scoring 18 goals and conceding five. They have scored at least three goals in four of these six games, whilst Bulgaria have conceded three or more in three of their last five. This makes odds of 8/11 for France Over 2.5 Team Goals look a good value bet, so I’m backing that along with a 4-1 correct score prediction at 18/1.
If you want to win big today then follow our Football accumulator tips!
France didn’t get their World Cup qualification campaign off to the best of starts last month when they failed to score at Belarus and came away with a goalless draw from a very winnable match.
This followed on from a promising return from their failed Euro 2016 campaign which saw them beat Italy 3-1 away from home in a friendly. However, their heartbreak of losing to Portugal in the Euro 2016 final in Paris will still be felt.
Overall they are looking in good form though, with ten wins, two draws and one defeat in their last 13 matches. They also have one of the most talented young squads in world football, with the likes of Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Antoine Griezmann, Layvin Kurzawa, Raphael Varane, Aymeric Laport, and Kingsley Coman all already very good and all on the right side of 25. The upcoming World Cup is likely to see these players in their prime, and it could be their best chance at winning silverware in the near future.
France have to get through qualification first though. Their major contender for the top spot will be the Netherlands, but fortunately for France they failed to win their opening game as well.
In fact, the only side that got a win in the opening game were Bulgaria, who beat Luxembourg in a 4-3 thriller. France will be an entirely different test of their mettle though, and it would be a shock to see the visitors coming away from Paris with anything.
They finished 4th in their Euro 2016 qualifying group last year, with a significant nine point gap between them and 2nd placed Croatia. Overall Bulgaria have won four and lost five of their last nine games. Away from home they have won three, drawn one and lost six, including a 4-0 hammering by Denmark and a 7-2 thrashing from Japan in the Kirin Cup in the summer.
Discounting the Euro 2016 campaign, France have won their last six home games, scoring 18 goals and conceding five. They have scored at least three goals in four of these six games, whilst Bulgaria have conceded three or more in three of their last five. This makes odds of 8/11 for France Over 2.5 Team Goals look a good value bet, so I’m backing that along with a 4-1 correct score prediction at 18/1.
If you want to win big today then follow our Football accumulator tips!
Head To Head
France and Bulgaria have each won three and lost three of their last six meetings with one another, although the last one was all the way back in 1996.
Stats
France have scored three or more goals in 67% of their last six home matches, whilst Bulgaria have conceded three or more in 60% of their last five away days.
Team News
All the big names such as Dimitri Payet, Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante, Antoine Griezmann, Anthony Martial and Blaise Matuidi are present. Olivier Giroud is thought to be struggling for fitness and has been left out in place of Kevin Gameiro. PSG defender Presnel Kimpembe and Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte are hoping to make their debuts for the national team.
Midfielder Svetoslav Dyakov will captain the Bulgarians, whilst striker Ivelin Popov is both the most capped player and the top scorer in the squad. Defender Dimitar Pirgov and midfield duo Martin Raynov and Georgi Kostadinov are hoping to make their debuts.
