Online bookmaker Paddy Power have a great Money Back Special running for Spain v France Euro 2012 betting. This will be a tense affair, with the Spaniards having never beaten their northern neighbours in a competitive match. Spain do go into the quarter final showdown as favourites, but the French can look a sturdy side when they turn up and play to their potential. So if this game goes all the way down to the wire, then Paddy Power will have some insurance for you. If the Spain v France quarter final goes to penalties, then the popular bookie will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast single bets placed on the match. So there is a lot of coverage to be taken on this match, should it go down to a nail-biting conclusion. The highly rated online bookmaker Paddy Power offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet, up to the maximum of £50.
Spain v France Odds at Paddy Power
Spain 4/5, Draw 12/5, France 4/1
This is going to be a pretty big and tense occasion for the Spaniards. The last time the two came together for a competitive meeting was at the 2006 World Cup. The Spaniards had taken a lead through David Villa, but then France, inspired by the great Zinidane Zidane powered back to a 3-1 win in the quarter finals. That was the last time that Spain were knocked out of a major tournament and it meant that Spain have failed to beat France in tournament football. Although the two sides have met 30 times before during history, only six of them have been in competitive matches, and it is France who have history on their side because Les Bleus hold a 5-1 head to head record. So can Spain overturn this? The Spaniards have won 3 of the last four meetings against the French, but again, those three wins were not under competitive circumstances. The most recent meeting was a friendly in Saint Denis when Spain won 2-0. After a less than impressive display against Croatia in their final group match, do Vicente del Bosque’s Spain have the tools to go all the way and defend their title?
Spain are on a run of seventeen competitive matches without defeat. While their possession stats have still been remarkably high at Euro 2012, the cut and thrust of clinical finishing has not been there. They were pushed hard by Italy in their opening group match, needing an equaliser from Cesc Fabregas to record a point. After then cruising to victory against Ireland, Spain then faced the tough Croatians in their final match. The Spaniards were within one goal of exiting the tournament, and Croatia missed a golden chance to deliver. A late winner from the defending European Champions though put them through. However, Del Bosque himself admitted that they hadn’t played well, their passing was off and really couldn’t get control in the game. Spain have looked a little leggy and tired and times but still they have made it through. Their pass completion has been well over double of that of their opponents in every match so far. Only once in the last 20 matches at major final tournaments have the Spaniards failed to control over 50% of possession in a game. That exception was in the final of Euro 2008, which they still won anyway. It has not been overly impressive from the Spaniards so far, but the knock-outs is where they should up their game.
France had their 23 unbeaten game streak snapped when they surprisingly suffered a defeat against Sweden in their final group match. It was a defeat which cost them top spot in Group D and a result which landed them a game against Spain. France were at their worst in that game, losing all kinds of shape and composure. Laurent Blanc’s men had looked a pretty solid outfit, not looking likely to give up too much and with the creativity in their midfield, they looked as if winning the group was not going to be a problem for them. However, with Samir Nasri getting an early knock, France lost their way a bit against a Swedish side who were simply playing for pride. It was a bit of a wake up call for France, and they have yet to sort out the problem of striker Karim Benzema being so isolated up front. He doesn’t get enough service and therefore tends to drop so deep to get the ball that France look very lightweight up front. The key battle against Spain is going to be in that midfield area where they have to be competitive and disrupt the Spanish flow. So that defeat against the Swedes will be a really big test of their mettle. Can they pick themselves up from that? France nor Spain played well in their final matches, but Spain still found a way to win. That is the difference. France have won just one game in their last ten at tournament finals.
Spain v France Prediction: Spain won all of their knock-out games at the 2010 World Cup by a 1-0 scoreline, so an interesting trend to ride because it is not looking likely that they are going to go out and score bags of goals. So this should be a narrow margin and therefore a Spain 1-0 Correct Score bet for 9/2 looks a decent call with online bookmaker Paddy Power covering it with their Money Back Special.
