Didier Deschamps’ men are the bookmakers’ favourites to triumph this summer, with the French hoping that they can emerge victorious on home soil just as they did at Euro 1984 and the 1998 World Cup. It is easy to see why they have been so heavily tipped to come out on top: while there are concerns in defence, where the full-backs are solid but ageing and centre-halves Raphael Varane, Jeremy Mathieu and Mamadou Sakho have all been ruled out, France have a midfield and forward line that is up there with the very best the tournament has to offer.
There are still a number of selection issues for Deschamps to decide on before the competition gets under way. Premier League stars Dimitri Payet and Anthony Martial seem to be vying for the slot on the left-hand side of the front three, with Antoine Griezmann guaranteed the wide-right role, while N’Golo Kante and Yohan Cabaye are the two main contenders for the holding midfield position in Lassana Diarra’s absence. Blaise Matuidi and Paul Pogba will be essential in the engine room in France’s 4-3-3 formation, as will Arsenal duo Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud in the heart of the backline and at centre-forward respectively.
Romania, for their part, will simply be targeting a place in the round of 16. Their qualification as runners-up behind Northern Ireland in Group F was largely down to their defensive strength, with eight clean sheets recorded and only two goals conceded in 10 matches against Greece, Hungary, Finland, the Faroe Islands and the Northern Irish.
Their game plan will revolve around sitting deep, ceding possession, keeping things tight at the back and attempting to hit France on the counter-attack when they get the opportunity to do so, although the lack of star quality in the team means there are doubts over whether they will be able to fashion many clear-cut scoring chances. Manager Anghel Iordanescu would probably accept a narrow defeat against France if it were offered to him before the game; goal difference could play a big part in deciding which four third-placed sides advance to the knockout stage, and Romania will be fully aware that their chances of success hinge on their meetings with Switzerland and Albania, not France.
This should be a reasonably straightforward task for the hosts, who are worth backing to triumph by a comfortable two or three-goal margin on Friday. France have a great deal more quality all over the pitch than the Romanians, who may have some joy at frustrating Les Bleus in the first half but are unlikely to be able to hold out for 90 minutes. Giroud has been in good form in the warm-up friendlies and could get his name on the scoresheet again, while investing in France to win without conceding would be another prudent wager given Romania’s struggles going forward.
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