Greece vs France Preview

France will look to end their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a bang when they travel to Athens this Tuesday to face Greece in their last game of 2023.

The hosts missed out on automatic qualification for a place in Germany next year after recording four wins and three losses in Group B. But despite finishing third in their group behind France and the Netherlands, Gus Poyet’s side has been confirmed as one of twelve European nations that will be competing in the playoffs.

So this match holds little significance in their bid to end a 12-year exile from the continent’s premier tournament, having been knocked out of Euro 2012 in the quarter-finals before two failed qualifying ventures.

The 2004 European champions will be desperate to end the year on a high, having won three of their last four matches in all tournaments – conceding only one goal in the process.

However, their resolute backline will be severely tested by France, who come into this tie on the back of a history-making 14-0 win over Gibraltar. That win was the visitor’s seventh win in this qualifying campaign, meaning that they have a 100% win rate.

Although they scored 27 goals in those seven games, they are even more impressive in defence, having shipped in just one goal in those seven games. So they will make the trip to Athens full of confidence and eager to end 2023 with a seventh successive away victory in Euro qualifying games.