This could truly be the pick of the quarter-final clashes because it sees a meeting between the two most fancied teams outside of Spain and England, the current holders of two major trophies. Setting aside England and Spain, France and Germany are the sides to beat and it almost feels a shame that one of them will not be involved in the semi-finals.

There is every chance this one could go the distance as, according to the bookmakers, there is little to separate these two footballing giants.

France have an unenviable record of playing in 15 major tournaments without reaching a final. They have certainly started these European Championships looking like they might finally exorcise the demons of the past, winning three matches out of three in the group stage. They opened the Euros with a stunning victory over holders England that made clear this was not a team likely to be overawed by the burden of history. That statement win was followed up with a 4-1 thrashing of Wales before an impressive 5-2 victory over the Netherlands, the Euros champions in 2017.

Things have not been plain sailing in quite the same way for Germany, the most successful nation in the history of this competition, having won the Euros a remarkable eight times. They have actually appeared in an astonishing nine out of the 13 Euros finals ever played, but this does not feel like a vintage German team. They beat debutants Poland in their opener but lost captain Giulia Gwinn to an injury that rules her out for the remainder of the tournament, a fact that overshadowed the result. That was followed by a hard-fought 2-1 win over Denmark in which the Germans had to come from behind. The final group stage game was the true disaster, a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Sweden, with Carlotta Wamser sent off and now suspended for this huge showdown.

France vs Germany odds

Odds via Betfair

  • France win: 10/9
  • Draw: 5/2
  • Germany win: 13/5

Time: Saturday, 8 p.m. BST (3 p.m. ET)

Venue: St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland

Prediction

France 3, Germany 1

It feels as though Germany have history on their side but little else. France is the far more impressive team in the group stages of these Euros. The French can field a full-strength team, whilst their opponents will be hampered by the aforementioned injury and suspension. Having beaten the holders and won their other games at a canter, France should have no great fears of Germany, and they should be able to safely navigate their way to the semi-finals without too much peril.

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(Photo of Sandie Toletti and Sakina Karchaoui: Sebastien Bozon / AFP via Getty Images)