Matchday 9 fixtures of Euro 2020 qualifiers will hold across various European cities as the qualifying rounds gradually come to an end. Group E is no different as we will see if France can seal qualification for next year’s tournament when they host bottom side Moldova at the Stade de France on November 14th, 2019.
The Euro 2000 Champions are currently second in their group with 19 points behind Leaders Turkey on goal difference. Les Blues are seeking a seventh win of the campaign that will take them to an unassailable 22 points, which would guarantee their appearance in next summer’s competition.
France’s progression through the qualifying campaign has been uneventful. The only blip was coming in an away loss to a resurgent Turkey side. Didier Deschamps charges have unsurprisingly dismissed every low ranked opposition that has come their way. It’s expected that the result will be no different when they take to the field against their Moldovan opponents this Thursday evening. The last time both teams faced off against each other was back in March when the French national team battered their hosts 4-1. A repeat of that same scoreline looks well on the cards as Les Blues look to secure qualification in style in front of their boisterous home supporters.
Coach Deschamps will have to prosecute the match without long-term absentees the England based trio Paul Pogba, Hugo Lloris, and Aymeric Laporte. Juventus FC midfielder Blaise Matuidi, as well as Atletico Madrid defender Lucas Hernández, will also be missing through injury.
Despite this, Deschamps has more than enough firepower to call upon to ensure victory for the home side. Strikers Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann will be expected to lead the line with either Olivier Giroud or AS Monaco hotshot Wissam Ben Yedder to join them in the attack.
As for Moldova, it seems this will be an exercise in damage limitation. The team from the small eastern European Republic is not expected to get anything out of this tie in Paris. They have lost every single game bar one home victory against Andorra in this qualification stage and will be unlikely to score an upset against their more illustrious French hosts.
The game between France and Moldova is backed 1.96 to finish with over 4.5 goals, while a possible final result of under 4.5 goals is available at 4.5.
Written by: Ayotunde Omolayole
