Pre-tournament favourites France will aim to make it two wins from two in Group F when they go to Budapest to face Hungary on Saturday afternoon.
Les Bleus were solid if not spectacular when kicking off with a narrow 1-0 win over Germany last week, but they will be expected to get the better of the Hungarians, who lost 3-0 to Portugal in their opener.
Hungary No Pushovers
The heavy nature of that scoreline doesn’t tell the full story, however, as Marco Rossi’s side gave as good as they got against Cristiano Ronaldo and co for much of the contest, conceding all three goals in the final six minutes.
France will expect a tricky test in front of the home fans at the Puskas Arena but Didier Deschamps’ men should have more than enough to pick up another three points as they continue on their way to sealing a place in the last 16 of the tournament.
The match odds reflect the fact that France, who are 5/19 to win, are second in FIFA’s world rankings, while Hungary, who are huge 12/1 outsiders to win the match, are down in 37th. Most observers will expect a France win and a victory by a two-goal margin, on offer at 51/20, appeals.
Griezmann Earns Deschamps’ Praise
Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann impressed in the win over the Germans and the 30-year-old is set to make his 50th consecutive start for France.
France have a glittering array of talent so players like Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante and Kylian Mbappe often get the acclaim but Deschamps says Griezmann deserves plenty of accolades too.
Merci pour toutes vos passes décisives pour soutenir les Bleus et le sport amateur ! Grâce à vous, EDF va reverser 50 000€ à la @fondationsport via l'opération #SoutiensTonClub.
RDV sur l'appli EDF Sport Energie pour continuer votre engagement solidaire#LaPasseDécisiveEDF pic.twitter.com/af9aCIfMwi
— Énergie du Foot (@energiedufoot) June 16, 2021
He said: “The statistics speak for themselves. You can see the influence that he has for the French national team, through the goals that he scores, through his assists.
“If we then add to that the capacity that he has to change the game, to get stuck in when we need to defend when we don’t have the ball, he’s one of the greatest players of all time, both in Europe and worldwide.”
With such high praise ringing in his ears, expect Griezmann to shine and he’s backable at 6/4 to score anytime.
Pavard Fit Despite Gosens Clash
Benjamin Pavard is likely to be fit despite a hefty collision with Robin Gosens in the opener, but Hungary midfielder Daniel Gazdag has pulled out of the tournament due to a knee injury.
France must guard against a dangerous Hungary side, who had been on an 11-game unbeaten run before losing to Portugal, but Les Bleus should exert their clear superiority and claim another solid win as they attempt to peak in the competition, just like they did when making the final in 2016 and then when being crowned world champions three years ago in Russia.
*All odds correct at time of writing.
