France vs. Germany Betting Odds Preview, Euro 2016 Semifinal Prediction

In what many soccer bettors believe is the real Euro 2016 championship matchup, host France and defending World Cup champion Germany will square off in Marseille on Thursday for the last spot in Sunday’s final.

All you have to do is look at the betting odds to see how evenly matched these two teams are, as France is just a slight +180 betting favorite (bet $100 to win $180) on the three-way line at sportsbooks monitored at Odds Shark.

Match Odds: France +180, Germany +200, Draw +200 (Matchup Report)

The two sides, co-favorites on the odds to win Euro 2016, underwhelmed in group play but still managed to finish first with seven points apiece. The French won Group A despite tying with second-place Switzerland 0-0 in the finale, while the Germans had an identical result in their game against second-place Poland.

They have each been equally impressive since making it to the knockout stage with one three-goal victory and another close encounter in their first two games.

Germany did not surrender a goal in the tournament until Italy scored at the 78-minute mark of regulation time to tie the game at 1-1 in the quarterfinals. The Italians ended up losing 6-5 on penalty kicks in a match that was much closer than Germany’s 3-0 rout of Slovakia in the round of 16.

One of the more surprising moments of the penalty kick shootout for the Germans was 2014 World Cup Silver Boot winner Thomas Muller missing on the second shot.

Muller has not scored a goal in the tournament, while Golden Boot favorite Antoine Griezmann has tallied four for a well-balanced France squad. Griezmann’s teammates Olivier Giroud and Dimitri Payet have scored three goals each and are also among the favorites to win the award given to the top goalscorer of the tourney.

Outside of their win over the Slovakians, the Germans have scored four goals during regulation time in their other four games combined.

The French seem to have an edge offensively, and they will obviously have the crowd on their side as well. The key for them will be continuing to perform well defensively, especially in the first half. If they can blank Germany for the first 45 minutes, they will carry a lot of momentum into the second half and get stronger as the game wears on.

That is a likely scenario considering how well France played in a 5-2 rout of Iceland in the quarters. While this is a big step up in competition, that killer instinct should ultimately carry them to the final.

France vs. Germany Prediction: 2-1 France

All betting lines data courtesy of Odds Shark. Check out the latest Euro 2016 news.