England to turn tables on France in last-eight battle

Women's Euro 2017 quarter-finals
Austria v Spain - Eurosport 1 & More 4, 5pm Sunday
England v France - Channel 4 & Eurosport 2, 7.45pm Sunday

England's questionable reward for three group-stage wins at Euro 2017 is a tough quarter-final against France but Mark Sampson's Lionesses can rise to the challenge and progress to the last four.

France were expected to breeze through Group C but they made hard work of it and finished second, two points below unfancied Austria.

Elimination looked likely when France headed to the break in Wednesday's match with Switzerland trailing 1-0 and a player down after the dismissal of defender Eve Perisset.

But Olivier Echouafni's side dug deep in the second half and grabbed a deserved equaliser from Camille Abily.

The second 45 minutes against the Swiss was the best France have played in the tournament but they may not be fully recovered for their quarter-final.

England played a day later – beating Portugal 2-1 on Thursday – but it was a relatively easy night's work for Sampson's side, who had 53 per cent possession and bossed the shots tally eight to three.

And Sampson was able to give most of his key players the night off, including tournament top scorer Jodie Taylor, who has notched four goals in just two appearances.

England will be refreshed and should be full of confidence as one of only two teams in the tournament to preserve a 100 per cent record.

They lost 2-1 to France at the She Believes Cup in March but can turn the tables and advance to the semi-finals for the first time since 2009.

A more one-sided affair is on the cards between Spain and Austria and the Iberians look likely to emerge as victors.

Austria took seven points in Group C but were fortunate to draw 1-1 with France after losing the shot count 19 to seven.

Spain suffered a shock 1-0 loss to Scotland in their final Group D match but have made great strides in 2017 – winning seven of 11 matches – and could still have a major say in the tournament.

Recommendations
England
1pt 17-10 Betway
Spain
1pt 5-6 Paddy Power