On November 15 (this Sunday) at 4:00 AM, the weather will be light rain with temperatures ranging from 7-9°C. Location: Dublin, Northern Ireland. Broadcast live on Guangdong Sports and Beijing Sports channels.
The French concern or worry about the importance of the play-offs has already been exposed. Previously, the 11th round of Ligue 1 was originally scheduled to take place on Wednesday, October 28, but the French Football Federation postponed the entire round of Ligue 1 matches until mid-December to ensure that the French national players had enough rest time. The French have been anxious for half a month in advance, seemingly lacking sufficient confidence in their own strength.
This weekend in the first leg of the play-offs, France will visit Dublin to challenge Ireland. With the mindset of the Gauls being unable to afford losing, Domenech's tactical deployment will definitely prioritize stability, as the play-off is a 180-minute battle, and a draw in the away first leg would be an "ideal" result. Looking at the home and away performances of both Ireland and France in previous major tournament qualifiers, there is a very high chance of a draw in tough matches.
In the home games during the 2008 European Championship qualifiers and the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Ireland's overall record was 5 wins and 6 draws. Among these, the six draws were against Czech Republic (1-1), Germany (0-0), Bulgaria (1-1), Italy (2-2), and Montenegro (0-0). Another draw was against Cyprus in the last round when they failed to qualify for the European Championship. Their five victories were against San Marino, Wales, Slovakia, Cyprus, and Georgia. When playing against stronger opponents at home, Ireland achieved all draws.
During the same period in the two major qualifiers, France's away record was 5 wins, 4 draws, and 2 losses. Among these, the four draws were against Italy (0-0), Ukraine (2-2), Romania (2-2), and Serbia (1-1). They defeated Georgia, Lithuania (twice), and Faroe Islands (twice). The Gauls also struggled to win against stronger teams when playing away. Both sides lack the confidence to beat stronger teams, making a draw in the first leg highly anticipated. Exclusive content by NetEase Lottery, reproduction prohibited without permission!
Predicted starting lineup:
Ireland (442): Given / St. Ledger, Dunne, O'Shea, Kilbane / Duff, Whelan, Andrews, Hunt / Keane, Doyle
France (4231): Lloris / Sagna, Gallas, Abidal, Evra / L. Diarra, Toulalan / Govou, Gourcuff, Henry / Anelka
Match records
Related thematic articles:
Understanding history transforms defenders into true Red Devils - admiration for Sir Alex Ferguson, cold and ruthless.
Brazil's team-wide slump sees one shining star - Nilmar dismantles England's defense.