France vs Poland predictions: Les Bleus to find their spark
- France have kept four clean sheets in a row
- Poland have lost four of their last five Euros games
- Recommended bet: France -1 handicap
France have not suffered a group stage elimination at a major tournament since the 2010 World Cup and they will fancy their chances of defeating Poland by a comfortable margin to safely secure a last-16 berth at Euro 2024.
Les Bleus have room for improvement after following up a 1-0 win over Austria with a 0-0 draw against the Netherlands.
But they need just one more point to clinch a top-two placing in Group D and would advance as sectional winners if they defeat Poland and the Dutch fail to beat Austria.
Poland's losses to the Netherlands (2-1) and Austria (3-1), meant they were the first nation to be eliminated from this summer's tournament.
Team news
France talisman Kylian Mbappe sat out Friday’s 0-0 draw with the Netherlands after suffering a broken nose in the first game, but is expected to be restored to the starting line-up versus the Poles.
Mbappe’s inclusion could mean a switch back to a 4-2-3-1 formation with one of the midfielders, Adrien Rabiot or Aurelien Tchouameni, making way.
Poland are expected to include star striker Robert Lewandowski from the start, after the Barcelona man arrived at the tournament with a thigh injury, limiting him so far to just one substitute appearance.
However, central defender Bartosz Salamon is an injury doubt with an ankle injury.
The stats
Les Bleus are unbeaten in their last 14 competitive fixtures.
The French have won 14 of their last 20 games.
The Poles have qualified for the last five European Championship tournaments but have suffered four group stage eliminations.
France and Poland have met 17 times in all competitions previously, with France winning nine times, the Poles have three victories and there have been five draws.
Prediction
France created very few chances in Friday’s disappointing goalless draw with the Netherlands but they should have Mbappe back in the side to face Poland and they can showcase their attacking talents in what should be a wide-margin success.
There is an incentive for France to chase a high-scoring victory over the Poles, because the battle for first place could go down to goal difference.
Les Bleus head coach Didier Deschamps can be overly cautious at times, but there is a need to be more expansive against Poland, who have endured another frustrating big tournament experience.
Poland have suffered four group stage exits at the last five European Championship finals and their Euro 2024 fate was sealed on Friday with a disappointing 3-1 loss to Austria.
Michal Probierz’s side were unable to cope with Austria’s high press and they are even less likely to be competitive against the French, who will be eager to get their challenge for overall glory in Germany this summer back on track with a convincing win.
Win up to £250,000 with LiveScore 6!
Win up to £250,000 with our free-to-play game, LiveScore 6!
