France EURO 2024 Favorites: Can They Deliver on +400 Promise?
It has been eight years since France reached the Euros Final, only to end up losing to Portugal on home soil. Since then, they have beaten Croatia in a World Cup Final and lost to Argentina on penalties in another, but a third European Championship has nevertheless eluded Les Bleus’ grasp. Having won the tournament in 1984 and 2000, expectations were high for France in 2021, but they capitulated in the Round of 16 by squandering a two-goal advantage and losing to Switzerland on penalties.
This time, Didier Deschamps’ side enters the tournament as the second-biggest favorite, with the sportsbook placing them at +400, slightly ahead of Germany (+500) and slightly behind England (+300). Does France have what it takes to end their 24-year wait for the European Championship? Let’s take a look.
Ready for EURO 2024! 🤩#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/Fb7WEdgJff
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) March 26, 2024
From Dembélé to Mbappé: Star-Studded Force to Be Reckoned With
You’d be hard-pressed to find a team that has the same collection of talent, experience, and dynamism as the French national team. Plenty of these players have assembled formidable chemistry at the club level, from the PSG contingent (Ousmane Dembélé, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Bradley Barcola, Randal Kolo Muani, Kylian Mbappé) to the Real Madrid trio (Ferland Mendy, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga) to the Milan trifecta (Olivier Giroud, Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez). Whilst Giroud will hang up his boots at the international level after this tournament, another veteran leader who will be involved is N’Golo Kanté, with the Al-Ittihad midfielder being recalled to the national team after two years out.
The last one…❤️💙🥺 @PSG_inside pic.twitter.com/na5oKsVRya
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) May 25, 2024
It is a tantalizing assortment of world-class footballers, and it should be enough to see them top their group of Poland, the Netherlands, and Austria with relative ease: at -190, the betting odds are in their favor to place first in Group D. In that case, they would face the runner-up of Group F (Portugal, Turkey or the Czech Republic) before taking on the winner of Group E or the third-placed side from Group A, B, C or D. This could very well be their first major test of the tournament, with a quarterfinal meeting with Belgium looming large, but they should be capable of taking care of business against a Red Devils side that is just beginning its transition into a new era under Domenico Tedesco.
While they did manage to knock out England from the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals, the Three Lions have only gotten better since then, and coming away with another victory in the semifinals could be easier said than done. We’re backing France to reach the final four at -175.
Don’t Sleep on Antoine Griezmann’s +3300 Odds!
At 33 years of age, Antoine Griezmann has cemented his status as one of the greatest footballers of his generation. He’s delivered a Man of the Match performance for France in a World Cup Final, he’s finished as top scorer and Player of the Tournament in a European Championship, he’s won a Copa del Rey with Barcelona and a Europa League title with Atletico Madrid, and he has emerged as Atleti’s all-time leading scorer with 181 goals and 84 assists in 389 appearances. Versatility is his middle name – he’s excelled on the flanks, as a second striker, as an attacking midfielder, whilst the recent World Cup would see him deliver a sensational campaign as a central midfielder.
Our betting lines have him at +3300 to win the UEFA Player of the Tournament, and we’ll take those odds every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Don’t let those numbers fool you – Griezmann is still one of the best players on the continent, and he has the quality to lead France to a deep run in Germany. Since the award’s introduction in 1996, the likes of Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, and Zinedine Zidane have claimed the Golden Ball in the Euros – Griezmann has what it takes to become the first player to claim two Golden Balls.
If Les Bleus are to come away with their first Euros trophy since 2000, expect him to have a big role to play. There’s more than enough reason to add him to your Euros betting picks.
Questions Of The Day
Can France reach the EURO 2024 semifinals in Germany?
France has reached the semifinals in three of their last four tournaments, and we’re backing that trend to continue.
Who is likely to win the Golden Ball in the Euros?
Antoine Griezmann has already won one Golden Ball in the Euros, and he’s more than capable of adding a second to his trophy cabinet.
