Boris "Bubs" Malloy
Switzerland (+430) vs France (-110), Draw (+195)
Unsurprisingly, both Switzerland (1-0-1, 4 pts) and France (2-0-0, 6 pts) are through to the next round, and all that remains Sunday is determining who will top Group A. Expect both La Nati and Les Bleus to put their best feet forward (or at least sub them in for the second half) as they try and secure first place at Stade Pierre-Mauroy (3:00 PM Eastern).
French manager Didier Deschamps caused quite a stir before his squad’s last match, taking Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann out of the starting 11. The move appeared to backfire, as France was sluggish to start against Romania, barely escaping with a 2-0 victory. Griezmann scored off the bench in the 89th minute to break the tie. Dimitri Payet added a goal in extra time, his second in as many games.
It seems unlikely Deschamps can justify using the same starting lineup on Sunday against a stronger Swiss side. Switzerland dominated possession in both of their group stage games against Romania (1-1) and Albania (1-0). But a questionable call in the box allowed Romania an easy score and the anemic Swiss attack could only muster a tying goal in a 1-1 draw.
That result means Switzerland will need to take all three points if they’re going to finish first in the group, while France would clinch it with a draw. However, the host nation has loftier goals than just making the quarters; they’re expected to win the whole tournament. That means French fans will be expecting a quality showing over 90 minutes in this game, as this team looks to find its groove.
Increasing expectations around France will be the fact they destroyed Switzerland 5-2 in the 2014 World Cup. Seven of the Swiss’ starting 11 from that game are still in place, so France should be able to find similar success. Take Le Bleus to continue their perfect run on Sunday.
Pick: France (-110).
(Photo credit: Xavier NALTCHAYAN from France (_MG_2798) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.)
