SPAIN v FRANCE - SPAIN CAN REIGN IN HANOVER
Jonathan Turner

The final spot in the quarter-finals will be decided in Hanover on Tuesday night as Spain and France lock horns - and on everything we've seen so far Spain have to be the bet.

Luis Aragones' side have done little wrong so far, getting their campaign off to a stunning start by thrashing fellow Group H qualifiers Ukraine 4-0 and then accounting for Tunisia and Saudi Arabia, the latter with a second-string side which means they head into the knockout stages nicely rested and with a clean bill of health.

That's all in stark contrast to France who have laboured horribly just to make the last 16.

We were keen on their chances at the outset but there's no point pretending we're impressed with what we've seen so far because they just haven't gelled.

If we were trying to find positives then it could be argued they haven't had the rub of the green - Patrick Vieira's header over the line against South Korea which should have put them 2-0 ahead being a prime example.

But they had to put out their strongest possible side against Togo in their final match just to get second place and they've now got to decide whether veteran playmaker Zinedine Zidane comes back into the team after missing out through suspension.

Ironically they actually looked a more cohesive unit in his absence, with stand-in skipper Vieira having his best game for ages in the Zidane role while Thierry Henry seemed to thrive for having David Trezeguet alongside him up front.

There's therefore plenty for French coach Raymond Domench to mull over and as things stand it's clearly advantage Spain

They'll be back to their first-choice starting XI, with David Villa likely to continue in attack with Fernando Torres, keeping Raul on the bench.

There's a suggestion that Aragones is edging towards a 4-4-2 formation - rather than the 4-3-3 which served them so well earlier in the tournament - which has to be a slight worry.

However that would mean Joaquin getting the nod to provide a real threat from the right flank so it shouldn't be a major concern for backers.

Cesc Fabregas has been one of the biggest plus points for Spain and he's now pushing hard to replace Marcos Senna in midfield which makes him an interesting bet at 20/1 for the man of the match award.

He spectacularly got the better of former Arsenal skipper Vieira when the Gunners took on Juventus in the Champions League last season and a similar performance here will surely catch the attention of the FIFA judges.

Spain make plenty of appeal to win the game inside 90 minutes at 11/8 but perhaps the best way to get with them - given that they've never lost in Aragones' 25-match reign - is at 4/6 on bet365's 'draw no bet' market.

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By Bettingzone.co.uk
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