France vs Republic of Ireland

France will be keen to maintain their rise to prominence in 2023 when they meet the out-of-form Republic of Ireland at the Parc des Princes.

Despite succumbing to a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out defeat to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup showpiece, France boss Didier Deschamps has kept the morale high within his ranks. Since returning from Qatar in 2023, ‘Les Bleus’ have gone from strength to strength, winning all four international fixtures via an aggregate score of 9-0 to seize the top spot in Euro 2024 qualifying Group B as the only nation with a 100% record. With this game taking place at the Parc des Princes, the home of Deschamps’ all-star attacking trio, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Randal Kolo Muani, France could be in a perfect position to extend their eye-catching 11-game unbeaten run on home soil in Euro qualifiers (W9, D2) against a nation they’ve defeated in their last three H2Hs.

On the other hand, the Republic of Ireland bounced back from a brace of single-goal margin losses to Greece and France at the start of their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a morale-boosting 3-0 home win over Gibraltar last time out. Stuck three points behind 2nd-placed Greece, the visitors will bid to avoid defeat for only the second time on their eighth trip to French soil (W1, D2, L4) and keep their hopes of returning to the European Championship finals for the first time since 2016. But to do that, Stephen Kenny’s men must defy their disheartening four-game form in competitive away matches (D1, L3), not to mention a lack of scoring prowess that has seen them net under 1.5 goals on each occasion.