Spain vs France Prediction: the Blues are too confident to lose

Spain, the reigning world champion, and France, the finalist of the last Olympic Games, will meet in the final of the 2022 European Basketball Championship. Who will be stronger in a battle of such great opponents? Let's pick a few bets at once.

The Spanish national team reached the final thanks to coach Sergio Scariolo. Not having any superstars on his roster at this EuroBasket, the experienced mentor built a solid team that relies on interchangeability as a key ingredient. Thanks to a smart rotation Scariolo made the playoffs, winning 102-94 (83-83) in overtime against Lithuania in the round of 16; turning around an uneasy quarterfinal game against Finland (100-90); and deciding the outcome of the semifinal game against Germany (96-91) in the last quarter.

In addition to the coach, former UNICS Kazan guard Lorenzo Brown deserves special mention on the Spanish team in this tournament, averaging 16.9 points and 7.1 assists per game. As well as Hernangomez, Willy and Juancho, who play in the NBA, with 17.4 and 11.2 points per game respectively.

The EuroBasket 2022 playoffs were not easy for Vincent Collet's team. However, the French were so confident that they pulled off two seemingly hopeless endings, beating Turkey twice in overtime, 87-86 (77-77) in the round of 16 and Italy 93-85 (77-77) in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals France was rewarded for their efforts in the previous stages, as the Polish national team was not ready to fight. 95-54 – the French achieved great success for the third major tournament in a row. At the 2019 World Cup, France won bronze, knocking out Team USA, and at the 2021 Olympics, the team was second, losing to the same Americans in the final.

At this EuroBasket, there are some players to note on the French roster, including NBA players center Rudy Gobert (13.6 points, 10.2 rebounds) and guard Evan Fournier (14.4 points). As well as Real Madrid players forward Guerschon Yabusele (15.0 points) and point guard Thomas Heurtel (7.1 assists).

Spain has four wins over France in the last five games.

The French do not have very good match statistics against the Spaniards in recent years. However, what significance can this have for the upcoming game. The French team has shown a great game in this tournament on both halves of the court, and even in the hard-fought round of 16 and quarterfinal matches, they knew what they had to do to win, not losing their composure in the end. Mentally, the French seem like a slightly more willing team to win. Spain has coach Scariolo, veteran Rudy Fernandez, and experienced fighters Hernangomez, who can make an impact in a tough match. France, on the other hand, does not seem to need any influence at all – the Blues just understand with their entire squad what they need to do, no matter what situation they find themselves in. In the final, the French are likely to display that winning spirit again.

Prediction: France will win.

Betting options:

• H2 (-2.5) for 1.908;
• ITO2 (83.5) for 2.25;
• W2 by 6-10 points for 4.50.

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