Olympics: France vs. Canada – prediction, team news, lineups
France Women will attempt to claim a second straight win when they face Canada Women in Sunday’s clash at the 2024 Olympics.
The Canucks will also be targeting another win after they began their campaign with a narrow victory over New Zealand.
Match preview
France kicked off their Olympic campaign with a 3-2 win over Colombia after they survived a second-half fightback from their spirited opponents.
Les Bleues produced a dominant performance in the first period, with Marie-Antoinette Katoto scoring either side of a Kenza Dali strike to establish a three-goal lead at the break.
However, Catalina Usme pulled a goal back from the spot within nine minutes of the restart, before half-time substitute Manuela Pavi halved the deficit to push France onto the backfoot.
Herve Renard’s side ultimately held onto their slender advantage as Colombia’s hopes of rescuing a point were effectively ended by Mayra Ramirez’s 86th-minute red card.
With France now targeting another win, they will be able to draw inspiration from the fact they have won each of their last three meetings with Canada.
Canada’s Olympic campaign was thrown into disarray before they had even played Thursday’s opening game against New Zealand.
Two staff members were sent home for allegedly using a drone to spy on a New Zealand training session, sparking an investigation by the International Olympic Committee and FIFA.
Head coach Bev Priestman did not attend Thursday’s opener in Saint-Etienne, where the Canucks fought back from a goal down to claim a 2-1 victory thanks to efforts from Cloe Lacasse and Evelyne Viens.
Canada Soccer have since confirmed that Priestman has been sent home for the remainder of the competition after “additional information” had come to light “regarding previous drone use against opponents, predating the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
Assistant coach Andy Spence will take charge for the rest of the tournament, with Canada looking to reach the knockout rounds of a fifth consecutive Olympics.
France Olympic Games form: W
France form (all competitions): WLWWLW
Canada Olympic Games form: W
Canada form (all competitions): LWDWWW
France vs. Canada odds
As we expected, France Women are the favourites in this match with a 61.90% win probability. Meanwhile, Canada Women have a win probability of just 18.20%, even though both teams have started the tournament with wins.
France Women Odds: 8/13 – 61.90% probability
Draw Odds: 29/10 – 25.60% probability
Canada Women Odds: 9/2 – 18.20% probability
We also looked at the odds for some of the basic goal markets. For example, over 2.5 total goals is priced at 1/1 (50.00% probability), which is a bit surprising given that both teams have gone over 2.5 total goals in the first round of the tournament.
On top of that, both teams to score has the same odds and probability. Again, we saw both teams score in both of the first-round matches played by France and Canada, so it might be worth exploring the goals markets for this match.
Team News
France will have to assess the fitness of Paris Saint-Germain defender Elisa De Almeida, who missed the tournament opener with a hamstring injury.
While there is a short turnaround between games, Renard may be tempted to stick with the same lineup that started the win over Colombia.
Katoto will continue to lead the line for her country after scoring five goals in her last seven international appearances.
Meanwhile, Canada have doubts over the availability of Jayde Riviere after she missed the win over New Zealand due to an ankle injury.
Shelina Zadorky, who was initially named as an alternate, will retain her place in the matchday squad if Riviere is unable to prove her fitness in time for Sunday’s fixture.
Viens could be rewarded with a starting place after coming off the bench to score the winner against New Zealand.
France possible starting lineup: Peyraud-Magnin; Lakrar, Renard, Mbock, Karchaoui; Geyoro, Toletti, Dali; Diani, Cascarino, Katoto
Canada Women possible starting lineup: Sheridan; Rose, Gilles, Buchanan; Lawrence, Fleming, Quinn, Carle; Leon, Lacasse, Viens
We say: France 2-1 Canada
France will be looking to reproduce their first-half performance against Colombia, and with the supporters spurring them on, we think they will do enough to edge out a Canada side that may be slightly distracted following the spying scandal.
