Spain vs. France Predictions

Spain and France meet in the third Euro 2012 quarter-finals match-up on Saturday. Spain won Group C with 7 points (2-1-0) while the French advanced as runner-ups in Group D with 4 points (1-1-1). Spain had an early draw against Italy, but the team is playing really well in the tournament. France needs a big bounce back performance to stand a chance of beating the Spaniards.

Spain Tournament Recap (2-1-0)

Spain has been listed as a decent sized favourite over the French in this Euro 2012 quarterfinal. Spain was a bit slow coming out in their 1st match against the Italians, but they managed a 1-1 draw. Spain then padded their goal totals against the Irish (4-1) and picked up a very close 1-0 win over the Croatians. Throughout the group stage Spain scored 6 goals and conceded just 1 goal.

France Tournament Recap (1-1-1)

France had a chance to win Group D, but they only finished runner-up after losing 2-0 Sweden in the 3rd match. Odds on France have been drifting since because now they need to play Spain instead of Italy in the QF’s. France ended the group stage with a total of 3 goals scored while conceding 3 goals as well. The French are tight defensively, but their offence hasn’t got going yet.

Spain vs. France Match Odds

Spain: 1.85 Best Odds at Paddy Power
France: 5.00 Best Odds at BetVictor
Draw: 3.50 Best Odds at Stan James

Spain vs. France Betting Tips

Spain vs. France Draw at 3.50 (Stan James)

Based on tournament form Spain has a decisive edge over France. The Spaniards earned 7 points during group stage and this is only the 2nd time that Spain has earned 7+ points during group stage at the Euros. The last time was at Euro 2008 when they ran the table and were crowned champions, which bodes well if you have a futures bet on Spain to repeat.

Spain has been on an incredible run of form in competitive matches the past couple years. Spain last lost a competitive match against Switzerland (1-0) at the 2010 World Cup. Since that match the Spaniards have a record of 16-1-0 with their lone draw vs. the Italians in their 1st match at Euro 2012. Spain historically underachieves in QF’s and the draw at 3.50 may have value.

One trend that French backers must love is the fact that Spain has never beaten France in a competitive match. Spain has only played the French 6 times in competitive matches and their record is a horrendous (0-1-5). France looked bad against Sweden in their last match, but before that loss the French were unbeaten in their L23 matches (16-7-0).

Spain vs. France Best Bets

My best bet for this Euro 2012 quarterfinals match is for both teams to score at 2.30 odds at William Hill. If you’re looking to bet on the goalscorer markets don’t forget about the moneyback specials we’ve been promoting at Paddies at Bet365. In this match I’m also tempted to bet on Benzema to score anytime at 4.00 (Paddies).

If the match goes to penalties Paddies will refund the Benzema bet above if it loses. Paddies is also the best odds at 4.00 right now and Benzema is due to score a goal for his country. Benzema has been held scoreless during group stage. Benzema has had 17 shots during his 3 matches and none of them have found the back of the net (Most shots without a goal at Euro 2012).