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France resurgent after change of coach
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Stars like Wendie Renard and Eugenie Le Sommer are back
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Republic of Ireland have won one of last four
Republic of Ireland v France
Thursday 06 July, 20:00
We hit the jackpot in Argentina last night, as Rosario Central held Estudiantes to a goalless draw and the teams smashed through the corners barrier. We'll switch to international women's football now, because France are visiting the Republic of Ireland as preparations for the Women's World Cup continue.
France have parted company with controversial and divisive coach Corinne Diacre, and the widely respected Herve Renard is now in charge. Renard led Saudi Arabia to a famous World Cup win over eventual champions Argentina in Qatar last year, and now he hopes to make a big impact in Australia and New Zealand.
Renard has been able to bring stars like Eugenie Le Sommer, Amandine Henry and Wendie Renard back into the fold, and that should make a massive difference in terms of the experience of the squad. Sadly, star striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto and forward Delphine Cascarino will both miss the tournament with injury.
The Republic of Ireland are also looking forward to the World Cup, and have picked tough opponents to face before the big kick-off. The build-up has been dominated by historic bullying allegations against coach Vera Pauw, all of which she has denied, and it remains to be seen whether that will be a distraction or the start of a siege mentality.
The Republic had a shaky 3-2 win over Zambia last time out, their only victory in the last four matches. Their qualification campaign was impressive though, with just one defeat against a much more experienced and highly-rated Sweden side.
France beat Colombia 5-2 and Canada 2-1 in April, and I expect them to make a statement before jetting off Down Under. We can back France -1.5 on the Asian Handicap at 1.910/11, and given the gap in quality between the sides, I think that's a fair play.