Spain and France are playing their match of the Nations League semi-finals at the MHP Arena in Munich. In case the score after the end of the 90’ is even, extra time follows, and after that, if necessary, a penalty shootout.
The winner of this match will face the winner of the Germany-Portugal match in the final.
What We Know
- The two teams faced each other in the Euro 2024 semi-final, yet again on German soil, with Spain earning a 2-1 win.
- France won the 2020-2021 Nations League, defeating Spain in the final.
- Five of Spain’s last seven games have ended with BTTS.
- Six of France’s last seven have ended with BTTS.
Betting Tip: Spain-France
These teams may well be the most talented European national teams right now. It is hard to pick a favourite, especially in a single-game elimination setting. We are backing both teams’ quality up front, and our pick is BTTS.
- Betting Tip: BTTS
- Odds: 1.88 (at the time of writing)
- Stake: 6
Spain
The reigning champion, Spain, will try to win the competition once again, this time on German soil. This will be the third consecutive time Spain reaches the Nations League semi-final, having won both of their previous two games at that stage.
They lost to France in the 2021 final in Milan and defeated Croatia in Rotterdam two years ago. To reach this point, Spain captured first place in its League A group. They showed dominant performances, winning five out of six games, alongside one draw.
The 16 points, 13 goals, and three clean sheets demonstrate how much better Spain was compared to its competitors, Denmark, Serbia, and Switzerland.
The quarter-finals were a much tighter affair. Facing the Netherlands, Spain tied the first game away from home, despite taking the lead with Nico Williams. The Dutch turned the game around and took the lead before Merino scored a last-minute equaliser.
The second leg at Mestalla was just as dramatic. The Spaniards took the lead twice with Oyarzabal, but the Dutch had answers both times, sending the game to extra time. There, Lamine Yamal scored first, but the away side equalised once again. The deciding penalty shootout resulted in a dramatic win for Spain.
France
This is their second Nations League semi-final appearance, and they want it to go the same as the first, eventually leading to a trophy. They managed to do so four years ago in Milan, defeating Spain (2-1). This success was bookended by two disappointing group-stage finishes in the 2018-2019 and 2022-2023 seasons.
In this tournament, they competed in League A’s group 2, facing Italy, Belgium, and Israel. They accumulated four wins in six games, losing just once (4-1-1), and finishing first ahead of Italy (edging them out on goal differential). They scored 12 times and conceded six goals.
In the tournament’s quarter-finals, they faced Croatia, a veteran team that pushed them to the brink. They lost the first game (2-0), despite taking twice as many shots as Croatia and dominating possession.
They were much better in the Paris second leg, taking the lead through Olive (52’), before standout Ousmane Dembele equalised on aggregate. The game went to extra time and then penalties, where Didier Deschamps saw his side earn a hard-fought 5-4 win.
