France midfielder Paul Pogba (L) competes for the ball against Switzerland's Breel Embolo. (Photo : Getty Images)
Tournament host France will square off with Group E third-placers Republic of Ireland at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Lyon on Sunday, June 26 as the knockout stages of the 2016 UEFA European Championship continues.
France was able to snare the top spot of Group A competitions even as they ended the group rounds with a goalless draw against tough team Switzerland at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq last Sunday, BBC Sport reported.
Their first two wins in the group stage were not that impressive as well, with the talent-laden team of head coach Didier Deschamps pulling them both off in the final minutes of the contests.
Midfielder Dimitri Payet first saved them in their opener against Romania with three minutes left in regulation before the West Ham winger did it again in their second round clash with lowly Albania, scoring in injury time to pull off the team's second straight victory.
Those last-gasp wins are not speaking well to the potential of this year's French squad composed of top-notch football names such as Arsenal's Olivier Giroud, Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann, Juventus' Paul Pogba, and Tottenham Hotspur's Hugo Lloris.
Meanwhile, the Republic of Ireland is having a dream tournament despite coming out of the Group E matches with only a single victory under its name.
That stunning victory came at the expense of tournament-favorite Italy, 1-0, at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq on Wednesday, which capped their third place effort with one win, one loss, and one draw, as per the Telegraph.
Norwich City defender Robbie Brady headed in the winning goal with five minutes left before full time to snag the three points away from the Italians and prevent them from sweeping the group stage.
It was another memorable moment for head coach Martin O'Neill's side in their first major tournament in a long while.
If the Frenchmen will not be able to play according to expectations against the Irish, then the latter could pull off a stunning upset. However, just based on their roster depth, France is still the favorite to advance in the quarterfinals of this summer's Euros.
The predicted result is a 3-0 rout for France.
France starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Lloris; Sagna, Rami, Koscielny, Evra; Sissoko, Cabaye, Pogba; Griezmann, Giroud, Coman
Republic of Ireland starting lineup (4-4-1-1 formation): Randolph; Coleman, Duffy, Keogh, Ward; Hendrick, McCarthy, Brady, McClean; Murphy, Long
