Euro 2016 Semifinals: Germany and France Clash for a Ticket to Meet Portugal

Portugal was brilliant in last night’s performance against Wales, beating them 2-0 after 90 minutes to make it to their first ever Euro Championship Final. Goals by Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani just after halftime was enough to end Wales’ fairytale. Now, the Portuguese must face either Germany or France in the final dependent on which of the powerhouses win tonight.

Germany are not at 100% for tonight’s match. Suspended defender Mats Hummels and injuries to Sami Khedira and Mario Gomez means that the Germans will need to fill three key positions. Coach Joachim Low is confident that his squad will be able to overcome the home nation, as they did at the last World Cup beating Brazil 7-1.

France’s Coach Didier Deschamps has a full roster to choose from tonight with all 23 players eligible and healthy to play. The only change that he may make is to recall Adil Rami on defense over Samuel Umtiti.

This will be the first time that France and Germany meet in the European Championships, even though they have played four times in major tournaments in the past. France beat Germany in the World Cup in 1958, but the Germans came back and beat France in 1982, 1986 and in 2014. Combined, no other teams have won the European Championships more, 36% of all finals. They met in a friendly in November of last year in which France won 2-0, but Germany will be an entirely different opponent tonight.   

Euro 2016 Betting

There are still a ton of chances for punters to make lucrative cash on this year’s Euro. Bet365 Sports has posted odds in favor of the home nation at 2.80, while the Germans are just behind at 3.00. A draw could be the best bet at 3.00, as my gut feeling is penalty shots, but either team could win tonight. bet365 will be offering live in play bets for interactive wagering throughout the game.