France will be looking to extend their winning streak in European Championship matches on home turf to 11 on Thursday when they take on defending world champion Germany in a semifinal matchup pegged as a virtual pick’em on the three-way betting lines at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Les Bleus have dominated on their drive towards a third Euro championship, and second as host nation, finishing atop the Group A table before handing defeats to Ireland and Iceland in knockout stage action. However, they will face their toughest opponent so far in Thursday afternoon’s France vs. Germany betting matchup at Stade Velodrome in Marseille.
After opening deadlocked with the Germans on the three-way odds at +188, France has inched ahead at the sportsbooks, improving to +180, while Germany’s odds are now at +200.
The two European soccer powerhouses are also neck-and-neck on the Euro 2016 futures, knotted as the +175 co-favourites to capture this year’s tournament crown.
Die Mannschaft exhibited some sluggish play early in the tournament but still managed to holding opponents scoreless in three group stage contests en route to a first-place finish in Group C. Germany finally roared to life in a 3-0 beatdown of Slovakia in the Round of 16, before going to penalties to eke out their first ever international victory over Italy in last week’s quarter-finals.
In this week’s other Euro 2016 semifinal matchup, Portugal aims to clinch their first berth in the Euro final since 2004 when they take on a surprising Wales squad as heavy +115 chalk on the three-way betting odds.
Led by Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal has managed to advance to the semifinal despite failing to pick up a win within 90 minutes so far at this year’s tournament, and sport +330 odds of winning their first European Championship.
Overall, Portugal has posted a middling record over the past year, going 5-0-3 in eight games prior to the tournament, and must now concern themselves with a Wales squad, led by Ronaldo’s teammate at Real, Gareth Bale, that has demonstrated the ability to be successful playing a fast-paced style.
Wales has emerged as a legitimate championship threat in their Euro debut, squeaking past England to finish first in Group B, and were surprisingly dominant in a one-sided 3-1 quarter-final victory over Belgium, handing the world’s No. 2-ranked soccer power yet another massive disappointment on the international tournament stage.
However, the Dragons have yet to convince oddsmakers, who make them intriguing +320 underdogs against Portugal, and +800 longshots on the Euro 2016 championship odds.
