will face Ireland at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris this Thursday night for the lead in Group B of the Euro 2024 qualifiers. France have kept a clean sheet in Group B so far, while Ireland will be looking to exact revenge for their 1-0 loss to France in Dublin last time out in this match.
Almost seven months have passed since France were beaten on penalties by their team in the World Cup 2023 final. However, France have been in excellent form since then as they have won four consecutive Euro 2024 qualifiers and are one of only four countries in Europe to keep a clean sheet. They have won against the Netherlands, Ireland, Gibraltar and Greece, scoring nine goals and not conceding in any of the four matches. In their most recent match, they beat Greece 1-0, with captain Kylian Mbappe scoring from a second-half penalty shootout to become France's all-time leading goal scorer in a single season.
For France, who are already on course to reach their ninth Euro finals, a win over Ireland in this Thursday's game will take them closer to the top of Group B. They have not lost to Ireland in any of the last seven tournaments.
In addition, since losing 1-0 in the UEFA Nations League in June 2022, France have won three consecutive matches at home without conceding a goal. They have also not lost in their last 11 home games against Ireland.
On the flip side, Ireland failed to qualify for both Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup. In the Euro 2024 qualifiers, they lost their first two matches against France and Greece. However, they picked up their first win in June against Gibraltar with a 3-0 victory. Despite their results being full of ups and downs, they have won six, drawn two and lost six of their last 14 matches.
Although Ireland are slightly less impressive on the road, with only one win in their last five away games, they have shown resilience in their play. Their last seven away defeats have all been by just one goal.
Looking at the squad, France have recalled Nice defender Jean-Claire Tudibor due to an injury to Ibrahima Konate. In addition, a trio of Paris Saint-Germain players, Kylian Mbappe, Usman Dembele and Randall Kolo Muani, will have a chance to shine on familiar turf. And 36-year-olds Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann are also likely to start in the attacking line.
For Ireland, their rising star Ivan Ferguson will be unavailable for the next two qualifiers due to a knee injury. In addition, Seamus Coleman and Michael Obafemi are also out with injuries.
From the above match preview, France has the advantage in all aspects. Not only do they have a superior record, but they are also in good form and have a significantly better head-to-head record than Ireland. Therefore, it is predicted that France may win this match 3-0 against Ireland.
