Stade Geoffroy Guichard

Despite securing a win against Colombia on Thursday, nearly squandering a three-goal halftime lead, Hervé Renard’s immaculately-ironed shirt from his designer wardrobe collection seemed to hold back the nervousness of sweat between the 54th minute and the final whistle in Lyon.

That victory should have helped put their shocking defeat to the Republic of Ireland in the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League behind them, as their focus now shifts to facing the defending Olympic champions.

Amid off-field controversy that led to Bev Priestman’s suspension as Canada Women’s Football Head Coach, the Canucks set aside these distractions and came from behind to beat New Zealand, courtesy of goals from Cloé Lacasse and Evelyne Viens, on Thursday in Saint-Étienne.

Now temporarily led by Assistant Coach Andy Spence—after Priestman and assistant Jasmine Mander’s earlier-than-scheduled return flights to Canada—the Canucks enter the game with an unbeaten five-match record across all formats (11 within 90 minutes). They know that a victory would almost certainly secure their progression to the quarter-finals.

Historical Head-to-Head Record

France emerged victorious when the two nations last met in a friendly in April 2023, with goals from Grace Geyoro and Léa Le Garrec securing a 2-1 victory.

However, despite not having celebrated a head-to-head success in nearly eight years, Canada’s last victory came at the 2016 Olympic Games, when the Canucks defeated the then-Corinne Diacre-managed French side to progress to the semi-finals in Rio de Janeiro.

Information and Where to Watch

The match will take place on Sunday 28 July 2024 at 20:00 (21:00 – local time in Saint-Étienne) at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. The action will be live for spectators based in the United Kingdom on Discovery+ and Eurosport.

Predicted Starting Line-ups

France: Pauline Peyraud-Magnin; Maëlle Lakrar, Wendie Renard ©, Griedge Mbock, Sakina Karchaoui; Sandie Toletti; Grace Geyoro, Kenza Dali; Kadidiatou Diani, Delphine Cascarino, Marie-Antoinette Katoto.

Canada: Kailen Sheridan; Jade Rose, Vanessa Gilles, Kadeisha Buchanan; Ashley Lawrence, Jessie Fleming ©, Quinn, Gabrielle Carle; Adriana Leon, Cloé Lacasse, Evelyne Viens.

Conclusion

Having maintained a three-match unbeaten head-to-head record, France will surely fancy their chances of capitalising on the defending Olympic champions’ internal struggles.

A win would not only secure a fourth consecutive victory but also likely ensure a place in the quarter-finals of this year’s tournament.

With both teams capable of finding the back of the net, as demonstrated in Match Day 1, goals are likely to be a valuable commodity on Sunday.


Featured image courtesy of ©ville de St Etienne via Wikimedia Commons. No changes were made to this image. License details found here


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