Gibraltar vs France prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-06-15 18:45.
Gibraltar’s fifth attempt at making any indent in qualifying for a major tournament has yet again suffered a miserable start after being on the receiving end of consecutive 3-0 defeats against Greece and the Netherlands. That means FIFA’s 201st ranked nation have now lost all of their 40 games in qualification campaigns, scoring a measly 12 goals and conceding a mammoth 177 in the process.
Life for Julio César Ribas and his team doesn’t get easier, as they’re now tasked with facing FIFA’s second-best ranked side in France. It’s a shame their first-ever encounter with the back-to-back World Cup finalists won’t actually take place in Gibraltar where they’ve avoided defeat in five of their last seven matches (W2, D3), but instead at the Estádio Algarve in Portugal as their national stadium, the Victoria Stadium, does not meet UEFA standards for international matches.
France won’t mind where they play given their qualification campaign started in the best possible fashion, after consolidating their 4-0 thumping of the Netherlands with a clinical 1-0 win away against Republic of Ireland. Although still early days, Didier Deschamps men seem well on their way to the continent's showpiece finals in Germany next year, in what would be their 15th consecutive major tournament appearance should they capitalise on their fast start.
Les Bleus have made that a habit given they’ve topped their group in four of their last five UEFA European Championship qualification efforts. Despite their prestigious history, the French will know they can’t take anything for granted, since their narrow victory over Ireland last time out was their first away from home in four attempts (D2, L1).
Players to watch: Gibraltar’s Lee Casciaro remains dangerous as the game wears on, with his last seven goals in domestic action arriving after half-time. Meanwhile, France’s Kylian Mbappé might be looking to add to his ever-growing tally of 38 international goals across 27 goalscoring outings, of which only one has ended in defeat (W23, D3), that being last year’s World Cup final.
Hot stat: There have been goals scored in both halves in five of France’s last six matches.