FRANCE v SWITZERLAND - MATCH PREVIEW III

France v Switzerland is the first all European tie of the World Cup so far and promises to be the tie of Group G, with many believing that this is the battle for who will finish top of the group. This is important as both sides will be hoping to avoid Spain, the likely winners of Group H, in the second round.

The Swiss are a hard-working if unaccomplished side however they can spring a few surprises. They beat Turkey over two legs to qualify for the Finals and also drew twice with France in qualifying, 1-1 and 0-0. So although France are favourites going into this tie don't discount the Swiss. They have always been a useful side and are very hard to break down. However with the likes of Henry, Trezeguet and Vieira, you feel that it is only a matter of time before they break the Swiss down.

Due to the favouritism of the French, the best bets are ones that deal with goal margins and times of the first goal. A 3-1 French win is tempting at 14/1 whilst a France win by two goals at 4/1 is also a solid bet. However in Alexander Frei (twenty-three goals) the Swiss possess a powerful attacking force so don't necessary expect Thuram and Gallas to hold firm.

Betting on the first booking may also lead to high returns as it is Swiss industry against Gallic flair. Whether the booking will come from a mis-timed tackle or a dive meanwhile will be difficult to judge.

Match Result
France 7/10
Draw 12/5
Switzerland 9/2

Correct Score
France 1-0 5/1
France 2-0 11/2
France 2-1 13/2
Draw 0-0 6/1
Draw 1-1 11/2
Switzerland 1-0 8/1
Switzerland 2-0 20/1
Switzerland 2-1 16/1

First Scorer
Thierry Henry 7/2
David Trezeguet 9/2
Djibril Cisse 5/1
Louis Saha 11/2
Sylvain Wiltord 6/1
Zinedine Zidane 15/2
Alexander Frei 8/1
Daniel Gygax 16/1
Patrick Vieira 16/1

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