Turkey vs France Prediction: Tricolor are better prepared to win

The EuroBasket 2022 round of 16 will open with a match between Turkey and France. Who will win a spot in the quarterfinals? Let's pick a few bets at once.

Ergin Ataman's team won three out of five matches at the start of the EuroBasket, which allowed them to take second place in their group. The Turks defeated Montenegro (72-68), Bulgaria (101-87). and Belgium (78-63). However, they lost to Georgia in overtime 83-88 (68-68) and to Spain (69-72) in the last round. Had Turkey beaten the Spaniards, it could have counted on a higher seed in the playoffs. But would it really matter if they'd have played Lithuania instead of France?

However, unlike Turkey, the 2-3 balance allowed Vincent Collet's team to finish only third in their division. The French were outclassed by the teams they lost to, Germany (63-76) and Slovenia (82-88). France's victories came against Lithuania (77-73), Hungary (78-74), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (81-68).

In general, it is worth mentioning that the French national team has shown the best defense in the group, allowing 75.8 points per game on average.

France is the clear favorite of bookmakers in the upcoming game. That's fair – mentally, the French seem to be better prepared to win than the Turks. Many of the French lineup at the current tournament were part of the team at the Olympics in Tokyo, where France reached the finals, as well as at the World Championship in Beijing, where the French knocked out the U.S. team from the tournament. The French's quality defensive work in the group stage suggests they will not be very productive. It is also worth predicting a defeat for Turkey, whose last match in the group stage against the Spaniards showed that Ergin Ataman's team can easily give up even a game already won.

Prediction: France will win in a low-scoring game.

Betting options:

• W2+TU (161.5) for 1.82;
• Total Under (152.5) for 1.95;
• W2 by 6-10 Points for 4.20.

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