Spain Vs France Preview

Spain take on France in the Nations League semi-finals at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart on Thursday, with the contest kicking off at 20:00 and being shown live on Amazon Prime.

La Roja dominated the league phase of the competition, winning five and drawing one of their contests in a section containing Denmark, Serbia and Switzerland, but Luis de la Fuente’s men were made to work by the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. 

France finished level on points with Italy in Group A2, but Les Bleus finished ahead of the Azzurri courtesy of a superior goal difference. 

The stage is set for a stunning semi-final showdown in Stuttgart.

Tip 1: Spain to beat France @ 27/20 with bet365

Spain are enjoying an 18-match unbeaten run and that impressive form takes in their success at last year’s European Championship. 

La Roja cruised through the group stage of the Nations League, winning five of their six matches and collecting 16 points in a section containing useful teams in Denmark, Serbia and Switzerland.

Luis de la Fuente’s men needed a penalty shootout to get past the Netherlands at the quarter-finals stage, but the Dutch are a talented team and that looks strong form. 

There is no doubt France can match Spain in terms of talent, but that hasn’t been reflected in the recent performances of Les Bleus.

Didier Deschamps’ men needed a penalty shootout to get past Croatia in the quarter-finals, and the French looked wide open defensively when losing 2-0 in Split. 

France put up a tepid display at Euro 2024, and Deschamps’ side may struggle to compete with the European champions. 

Tip 2: Lamine Yamal to score at any time @ 9/4 with bet365

France looks set to select a back-four containing Lucas Digne, Clement Lenglet, Ibrahima Konate and Malo Gusto, which doesn’t convince against a sparkling Spanish attack. 

Alvaro Morata isn’t a top-level performer at the head of the La Roja forward line, but the 32-year-old is a good foil for Spain’s brilliant wide men. 

Lamine Yamal is the most exciting young talent in Europe and the Barcelona man has scored three goals in his last four matches. 

It is not difficult to think that the 17-year-old will have plenty of joy against a potentially leaky French defence, and Yamal can get on the scoresheet in Stuttgart. 

Tip 3: Spain to win 3-1 @ 18/1 with bet365

Spain have scored 18 goals in their last seven matches and La Roja have hit at least three strikes in five of those games. 

There have to be concerns surrounding a French defence which conceded two goals against Croatia in Split in March, and perhaps a big-priced correct score punt could pay dividends in Stuttgart. 

Take Spain to win 3-1 at 18-1.