This Thursday the Poles will welcome an improving French
outfit in an international friendly. The visitors are the betting odds
favorites, but France has not been too happy with that tag in recent years, can
they improve?
As the Concacaf Gold Cup got underway, France, atop Group D in Euro 2012 qualifying, played another international friendly. The French took care of Ukraine away from home in a 4-1
triumph.
The man to steal the show for Laurent Blanc's crew was
Marvin Martin, who scored two goals in his first appearance internationally.
Blanc left quite a few first-choice players out of the
starting XI, including Florent Malouda, Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema. That
allowed others such as Martin to make a splash.
While France is one of the more well-known national squads
in the world, the Poles may not be as recognized by the casual soccer fan.
But that does not mean they are any less talented. Poland is
a strong side, as evident from its 2-1 win over Argentina this past Sunday.
Sure the Argentineans may have field a weakened lineup, but
give the Poles credit for hanging in there and proving that they will not be
intimidated no matter the opponent.
Adrian Mierzejewski put Poland ahead in the first half
before Argentina got the equalizer just a couple minutes into the second half.
The winning goal came from Pawel Brozek in the 66th minute.
French have the names but Poles have the teamwork
Bodog foresee a close encounter for Thursday's
game, with France at +115 to win and Poland sitting at +210 soccer odds to get
the victory themselves. If you think these two teams will finish at a deadlock,
consider a bet on the draw at +230.
Things have definitely improved since Laurent Blanc took
over the reigns of this French squad.
He's started from scratch, giving a handful of players their
chance to shine for the national team, including a number of quality young
players.
A few of those names that look to be the future are Loic
Remy and Jeremy Menez. The pair, who are both 24-years-old, enjoyed spectacular
domestic campaigns and should get more and more opportunites to showcase their
skills for their country.
Those to watch out for on Poland's side include Robert
Lewandowski and Lukasz Piszczek, who both play club for Bundesliga champions
Borussia Dortmund.
I definitely do not believe it will be a walk in the park
for either side on Thursday, but I see France's quality guiding them to get at
least a draw away from home.
The truth of the matter is that Blanc has so many fantastic,
experienced players to turn to that no matter what he decides, the French will
roll with a formidable squad.
Even so, these Poles are very well-disciplined and are
extremely cohesive out there on the field. They will give it everything they
have for one another and I fully expect them to test France's might, especially
when you consider the insane crowd that will be on hand at Slaski Stadium.
FREE Pick: Poland 1 France 1