Kylian Mbappe’s France will resume their U
The Republic of Ireland are all set to kick start their U
As far as France are concerned they are heading into this fixture after thrashing the Netherlands 4-0 in their opening fixture of the U
The Paris Saint-Germain star was awarded his nation’s captaincy after their former captain Hugo Lloris announced retirement. Didier Deschamps gave the captain band to the 24-year-old on the back of his heroics in the FIFA World Cup 2022. And, he started his captaincy era with a 4-0 win, where he found the back of the net twice.
France have already occupied the top spot in Group B, and they will be in no mood to let it slip. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at this fixture and tries to predict the tactics that will be in use.
Team News & Tactics
Republic of Ireland
Ireland skipper Seamus Coleman, who missed their 3-2 win over Latvia due to a thigh injury, is touch-and-go for this fixture. Josh Cullen and Jason Knight who were rested in their last fixture are all set to feature in the centre of the park for this one. And, Gavin Bazunu could also return in goal against Les Bleus.
"Relish it. That's the key message. Focus on how we can hurt them…" 💪
Ireland Assistant Coach John O'Shea on the French challenge, his first week with the team & what the Aviva crowd can do on Monday 🇮🇪💚
A man with that big game experience 🙌 pic.twitter.com/iWxGy7uhfw
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) March 25, 2023
Stephen Kenny is expected to start with the 3-5-2 formation where Bazunu will be in goal. John Egan, Nathan Collins, and Dara O’Shea will form the back three. Matt Doherty and Callum O’Dowda will be the wing-backs. The duo will look to support the back three as they look to defend against a star-studded France attack.
Cullen, Knight and Jayson Molumby will be three in the centre of the park. They will look to have control of the ball for as long as possible in order to avoid being hit by the pace of the French forwards. Teenage sensation Evan Ferguson will pair up with Michael Obafemi as the duo will look to find the back of the net against Les Bleus.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Bazunu; Egan, Collins, O’Shea; Doherty, Cullen, Molumby, Knight, O’Dowda; Ferguson, Obafemi
France
William Saliba and Wesley Fofana, who were forced to withdraw due to injuries from their first fixture against the Netherlands, are the only two injuries concerns. And, they have already been replaced by Axel Disasi and Jean-Clair Todibo, who were both unused substitutes on Friday night.
Still recovering from the four goals scored in victory over the Netherlands which got Euro 2024 qualifying off to the perfect start! 💯#FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/OJ5q1WzzqH
— French Team ⭐⭐ (@FrenchTeam) March 26, 2023
Didier Deschamps has nothing much to worry about and is unlikely to make any changes to the eleven that started the first fixture. The French manager will once go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation. Mike Maignan will start in goal. Jules Kounde and Theo Hernandez will once again be the full-backs.
Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate will pair up in the centre of defence for France. Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot will form the double pivot in the centre of the park. They will look to dictate the tempo of this game and supply their star forwards as they look to run riot against Ireland.
Kingsley Coman and skipper Kylian Mbappe will start out wide as they look to stretch the opposition and make in rodes. Antoine Griezmann will start in the centre behind their number nine Randal Kolo Muani. Griezmann will look to supply the ball out wide as well as link up with Kolo Muani as they look to cause havoc.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Kounde, Konate, Upamecano, Theo Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Coman, Griezmann, Mbappe; Kolo Muani
Key Stats
- Ireland have found the back of the net in each of their last five consecutive matches.
- France have scored 14 goals in their last five outings in all competitions.
- France have won four out of their last five matches against the Republic of Ireland.
- Ireland haven’t won any of their last five Euro qualification matches.
- Republic of Ireland’s last win in the UEFA Euro Qualifications came against Gibraltar in June 2019.
Player to Watch
Kylian Mbappe
France’s new skipper Kylian Mbappe had an outstanding outing in his first-ever match as their leader. The Paris Saint-Germain forward found the back of the net twice as Les Bleus thrashed the Netherlands 4-0 on the night.
Mbappe was their star man in the FIFA World Cup 2022 final which they eventually lost on penalties against Argentina. The 24-year-old is amongst the best players in world football at this point in time and has to be the player to watch out for in this fixture.
Prediction
Republic of Ireland 0-5 France
Even a team as strong as the Dutch could not stop France’s star-studded attack. The Netherlands ended up conceding four goals at the hands of Les Bleus. As a result, it looks unlikely that the Republic of Ireland could stand in their way.
While they are heading into this fixture on the back of two consecutive wins and have a great home record, things don’t look good for them heading into this match. The Hard Tackle predicts a 5-0 hammering of the home team at the hands of Mbappe and his men.
