France v England (Group D)
11^th June 2012, 5.00pm, ITV1, at The Donbass Arena, Donetsk

The opening game in Group D sees France take on England at the Donbass Arena. This will be Roy Hodgson’s first game in charge of England at a major championship and it will be important for him to hit the ground running with a positive result.

Tipsters Best Bet

Back The Draw @ 21/10 with Red Bet Kings

France are also undergoing somewhat of a transitional period under manager Laurent Blanc and this will also be his first time in charge of the side at one of the main national football tournaments.

It will not be an easy group for either side to get out of with tough opposition in the shape of Sweden and the Ukraine.

It is a matter of fact that England have underachieved at international level for a number of years now and with the wealth of talent they have at their disposal, England really should be getting to the business end of the European Championships.

Some pundits are questioning Roy Hodgson’s decision not to take long standing servant Rio Ferdinand to the tournament and it will be interesting to see how the defence copes with the recent withdrawal of Gary Cahill.

There are a number of defensively minded midfield players in the England squad and this could well assist the weakened backline.

Laurent Blanc’s first move as France manager was to suspended a number of players following the problems at the 2010 World Cup. A lot of infighting caused France to be dumped out of the competition at an early stage and also embarrass this great nation on the international stage.

France managed to top their group during qualifying for Euro 2012 and could possibly cause a surprise at these championships. Real Madrid’s  Karim Benzema is likely to be a handful for any team France face.

France v England Odds (Prices from Red Bet Kings)

France 6/4
England 2/1
Draw 21/10

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