Placed in Group D of Euro 2024, France now knows in what sauce it will be eaten, or not, during Euro 2024 which will take place from June 14 to July 14. Opposed to Austria (June 17), the Netherlands (June 21) and the winner of the Dam route, Poland, Estonia, Finland or Wales (June 25), the Blues inherited from a solid group. Less strong than three years ago at Euro 2020 (Germany, Portugal and Hungary), this draw nevertheless remains serious and interesting for the Tricolores. The Netherlands, which France beat twice in qualifying (4-0 and 2-1), presents itself as the main opponent of the Blues even if Austria is not left out.
Asked after the draw about TMCOlivier Giroud expressed his hot opinion on the matches he should play for Germany next June: “The Netherlands knows them very well from the elimination phases. I was afraid of falling against them, because they are capable of causing us problems. This will give us a good group. I think we still remain favorites, but it will be up to us to be 100% and do the work in this group. Austria has a great generation with players in big clubs. They deserved their qualification for the Euro and we will have to be wary of that. We’re going to wait for the barrage because on paper, Wales and Poland are perhaps more armed than Finland and Estonia, that could make a nice little group. It’s perhaps a more lenient draw than in the last Euro.”
Austria and the Netherlands left their mark on the Blues
The Blues coach, Didier Deschamps, absent during the draw after his operation, also stressed the fact that we had to be wary of the Oranjes and does not consider that this group will be easy, quite the contrary: “It’s a difficult draw, due to having the Netherlands in pot 3. It brings a more difficult group, and Austria who we met in the Nations League and that was complicated. It’s a dense and difficult group. Potentially, the Netherlands have more quality than the Austrians, but it’s never easy to play them. The whole Netherlands is one of the best European nations.” If the Blues avoided the group of death with Spain, Albania, Croatia and Italy, it will be great posters for the France team.
Assistant to Didier Deschamps, Guy Stéphan is certainly wary of the Netherlands, but does not want to look down on Austria, a team which posed difficulties for France during the last Nations League (1-1 and 2- 0). The Tricolor technician also supported the fact that this will be the Tricolores’ first opponent during the competition: “I think Austria is underrated and has very good players like Danso, Sabitzer, Alaba for example. We had a hard time there, we got shaken up. Ambition certainly and also a lot of humility in relation to our adversaries. Austria was in Belgium’s group, lost only one match and finished just one point behind the Belgians. We will have to perform well and this will be our first opponent.” It is therefore a French team confident in its strengths, but also on guard, which will advance to Germany in a little over six months.
