Three friendlies on Thursday and the same theme runs through all three. A European side with the better squad, a class gap on paper, and a market that has not fully priced it in.
France vs Ivory Coast, both teams to score at 1.89 is the opener. Didier Deschamps is at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon with Mbappe, Dembele and Olise in the squad and France will attack from the first minute as they always do in a home friendly. Ivory Coast are not here to sit. Emerse Fae has Sebastien Haller, Simon Adingra and Jeremie Boga in the front line and the Elephants are the reigning AFCON champions, not a team that parks the bus on a free hit. France have shipped in seven of their last eight matches. Ivory Coast have scored in five of their last six. Both sides will swap shots in the second half. 1.89 on BTTS yes is the right side at a price that respects the gap without burying it.
Spain vs Iraq, Spain to win both halves at 1.59 is the middle leg. La Roja are at El Sadar in Pamplona with the European Championship squad core intact. Yamal, Pedri, Nico Williams and Morata are all in camp and Luis de la Fuente has named a strong starting eleven for what is the final tune up before the World Cup. Iraq are 58th in the FIFA rankings, Spain are second. The Spanish do not sit on a lead at home in a friendly, they keep the pressure on for ninety minutes, and seven of their last nine wins under De la Fuente have been won-both-halves results. Iraq have lost their last four against top twenty sides without scoring in three of them. 1.59 is short but the structural read on a Spain side that does not switch off is the correct play.
Czech Republic vs El Salvador, Czech Republic minus one on the Asian Handicap at 1.53 is the closer and the Stake slip link. Ivan Hasek has Patrik Schick, Adam Hlozek, Lukas Provod and Tomas Soucek all available at the Eden Arena in Prague. El Salvador sit 88th in the world, the Czechs are 32nd. La Selecta have lost six of their last eight against European opposition and have not won a single one of those eight matches by less than the two goal margin needed to push us off this handicap. 1.53 on the home favourite to win by two or more in a tune up where Hasek wants minutes for his strongest eleven is the closer. The Stake link will pull the slip up live and the handicap covers everything except a one goal win or worse.
One unit on each leg. Acca lands at 4.60x.