The pre-tournament favorites are now just one game away from being crowned European champions, with France having progressed to Sunday's showpiece despite some unconvincing showings. Les Bleus needed extremely late goals against both Romania and Albania to secure victories in their opening two games, before a goalless draw against Switzerland in their final group match.
The last 16 also saw them trailiing 1-0 at half time to the Republic of Ireland before a second half comeback and while they dispatched Iceland with few problems in the last eight, Les Bleus' semi final clash against Germany saw them really on the ropes for large parts of the game.
Of course Didier Deschamps' men had the resilience and ability to come through those difficult situations and are rightly favourites with bet365 at evens (2.00) to win in 90 minutes.
While they are the underdogs, opponents Portugal will be able to take heart from the problems the French have been caused throughout this tournament, and Fernando Santos' men are priced at 15/4 (4.75) with the draw offered at 11/5 (3.20).
The Portuguese have shown themselves to be tough to beat, with Santos defending their pragmatic approach by suggesting aesthetically pleasing football must often be sacrificed in order to gain results. With the Iberian side clearly the underdogs in the final, expect another organised and resolute performance from Portugal devoid of any real creativity but with an effectiveness that had served them well. Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates are offered at 15/8 (2.88) to lift the trophy and the Real Madrid forward is unlikely to get a better chance to claim silverware with his country given his advancing years.
However the most eye-catching price is the 7/2 (4.50) offered for a draw at half time and France to be winning at full time which looks appealing. As mentioned previously the French have struggled in the opening 45 minutes of almost all of their games at the tournament, and there will be a mountain of expectation on the hosts so nerves could well play a part at the Stade de France.
It could well take Les Bleus a while to break down the Portuguese and this option looks to offer some real value. Also worthy of consideration is the price of 20/21 (1.98) for the half time draw which has paid out in each of Portugal's last five matches in the tournament, as well as in three of France's six games but the 7/2 (4.50) on offer from bet365 offers the best value.
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Draw half time/France full time at 7/2 (4.50) for a 1pt stake with bet365 |
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