On Monday evening, France and Austria will open their respective Euro 2024 accounts when they meet at Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf.
The two sides are joined by the Netherlands and Poland in Group D, meaning we should be treated to several entertaining clashes in the coming days.
Will the French live up to expectations? Or could the Austrians spring a surprise? Keep reading to discover what Forebet’s AI algorithm predicts.
In their final warm-up game last weekend, France were held to a goalless draw by Canada, raising questions about the team’s readiness for the tournament.
That said, Les Bleus have lost just one of their last eight matches across all competitions, with two defeats coming in their previous 14.
The French enjoyed a hugely impressive unbeaten qualifying campaign, taking 22 points from a possible 24, with 29 goals scored and only three conceded.
Having reached three finals in their past four major tournament appearances, France will be confident of going all the way in Germany this summer.
As for Austria, they finished their Euro 2024 preparations with a 2-1 victory over Serbia and a 1-1 draw with Switzerland last week.
The Austrians have now claimed six wins and one draw in their last seven outings, with only one defeat coming in their previous 16 encounters.
It is also worth remembering that Austria lost just one of their eight qualifiers, finishing one point behind first-placed Belgium in Group F.
However, the Austrians have never made it past the round of 16 at a European Championship, falling to eventual champions Italy in the last 16 at Euro 2020.
Head-to-head: France and Austria played each other twice in the Nations League back in 2022, with Les Bleus taking four points from a possible six.
To make matters worse for the Austrians, they have managed to win just one of their previous 10 meetings the French, suffering seven defeats in that time.
Team news: France’s star man is Kylian Mbappe, who has scored 47 goals in 79 games for his country. Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann each have 125+ caps.
Austria, on the other hand, can call upon Marko Arnautovic, who has netted 36 goals in 112 caps. Borussia Dortmund’s Marcel Sabitzer captains the side.
France are among the favourites to lift the trophy in Germany, but Austria will fancy their chances of causing an upset in their opening match.
Forebet predicts that France and Austria will serve up a high-scoring draw in Dusseldorf, with both teams netting over 1.5 goals.