France W vs England W: UEFA Women Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

When the English women face off against the French women in Saturday's match in Zurich, they will be defending their Women's European Championship title.

Wales, the defending champions, and the 2017 champions, the Netherlands, are the other teams in Group D with the Lionesses and Les Bleues.

Previous Matches and Head-to-Head

France qualified for the ninth consecutive Women's Euros, having won four of their six group games, including a 2-1 victory against England in May 2024.

France has a solid record, having advanced to the quarterfinals in each of the last four European Championships for Women. In 2022, they made it to the semi-finals before losing to Germany 2-1. France's undefeated Nations League campaign saw them defeat Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland 6-0, claiming first position and advancing to the quarterfinals.

England, after winning its first major tournament title in 2022, aims to become the second team in history to win three Women's European Championships. In the quarterfinals, they defeated Sweden and Spain, and in the final, they beat Germany by a hair to win the trophy at Wembley.

Sarina Wiegman, manager of the England national team, is aiming for a record-tying third straight European Championship title following her 2017 triumph with the Netherlands. England's Nations League campaign concluded in second place, behind Spain, with a record of three wins, one draw, and two losses from six matches.

Despite losing 3-1 at home to France in qualifying, England may draw motivation from last year's 3-1 triumph in the return match, which will be a more difficult test in their tournament opener against France.

France Women x England Women Team News

Laurent Bonadei, France's manager, controversially decided not to include all-time leading scorer Eugenie Le Sommer and seasoned defender Wendie Renard in his 23-player roster.

Griedge Mbock and Maelle Lakrar will play central defense, with Elisa De Almeida and Selma Bacha slated for fullback duties.

Marie-Antoinette Katoto, on the other hand, will almost certainly start up front alongside Kadidiatou Diani and Sandy Baltimore.

English footballer Millie Bright announced her inability to "give 100% mentally or physically," while Mary Earps and Fran Kirby have also recently retired from international play.

After sitting out for three months with an injury, Chelsea star Lauren James made an impressive comeback as a substitute in a resounding victory against Jamaica. However, the star forward is not set to start Saturday's first match.

Weigman may elect to maintain the same starting lineup from their match against Jamaica, which would mean that Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, Alex Greenwood, and Jess Carter would form the back four for her squad.

When she leads the line against France, Russo will be hoping to keep up her impressive run, which has seen England score in their previous two matches.

Our Predictions

Full-time draw @ 3.20 on Sky.247.ng

While the English will be looking to get their title defense off to a winning start, they will be forced to settle for a draw against a formidable French team. This is particularly true since Les Bleues have gone undefeated in their past ten group games at the Women's Euros.

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