France vs. Italy Prediction, Tips and Odds – Sep. 14, 2022 17:15 CET
The last two games of the Eurobasket quarterfinals will be played on Wednesday. In the first match of the day, France and Italy meet, and the start of the clash in the Mercedes-Benz Arena is scheduled for 17:15.
After an excellent game against Serbia and the sensational elimination of the main favorite for the gold medal, the Italian basketball players have another difficult task – to overcome the finalist of the last year’s Olympic Games and another candidate for the European throne.
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France Team News
The French have not been looking good in this championship so far. Their style of play is full of oscillations and it was a miracle that they were not eliminated by Turkey in the previous round. They trailed 75-77 with 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and Cedi Osman had two free throws. But one of Turkey’s best players missed both, and Rudy Gobert scored a basket with two seconds left to save his team from defeat.
Les Bleus were the better team in overtime, narrowly winning 87-86 to advance to the quarterfinals. Rudy Gobert was the best French individual in that match – he scored 20 points and grabbed as many as 17 rebounds, while Evan Fournier and Thomas Heurtel were also solid with 13. However, the French as a team left a weak impression and it is evident that their teamwork is not at the optimal level.
If they want to reach the semi-finals, they must play much better against the motivated Italians. Otherwise, they will be eliminated.
Italy Team News
The Italians made the biggest surprise in the round of 16. They shocked Serbia with 94-86, who until that game was one of the two teams that had not lost in the tournament. The Italian players had an unusual shooting performance. They scored as many as 16 three-pointers and showed great character because at one point they were losing by 14 points.
Marco Spissu probably played the best game in his national team career. He scored 22 points, scored six three-pointers, and was the main protagonist of the Italian turnaround. Nicolo Melli, Simone Fontecchio, and Achille Polonara played another good game in this competition and once again confirmed that they are the main strength of this team.
Shooting is definitely the strongest weapon of this national team. They are not physically dominant, they do not have such tall players, but they are extremely mobile and fast, so they can harm any opponent. We believe that the great victory against Serbia instilled them with additional confidence, so they will probably be further motivated to advance to the semi-finals.
H2H
The Italians have not beaten France since 2003, counting official and friendly matches. They met twice this summer during the preseason – the French triumphed both times 78-77 and 100-68.
France vs. Italy Prediction
We believe that the French have watched Italy’s match against Serbia several times and have a strategy to stop the fast game of their next opponent. The French national team has great defensive potential and individuals who can limit the scoring productivity of Italy’s most dangerous players. Therefore, we believe in the victory of Les Bleus.
Prediction: France -4.5
Odds: 1.8
Bookmaker: 20Bet
