No question about the better team if we look the players one by one. No question about more experienced team, it is France. But I decide to take Republic of Ireland in this first leg. Here are the reasons:

First of all, the atmosphere in France squad is not good. Some of the players, like Henry, said critics about their couch Domenech and his methods. I am sure something like that spoiled everything and that’s one of the reasons for the bad results.

Second, the latest result of France national team when playing away from home clearly shows that the team is out of form. Only two victories in last five games, and one of them is countless. To beat Faroe Islands only with result 1:0 isn’t result to be proud of. Here are the results:

09.09. Serbia - France 1:1 (1:1)
12.08. Faroe Islands - France 0:1 (0:1)
28.03. Lithuania - France 0:1 (0:0)
11.10. Romania - France 2:2 (2:1)
06.09. Austria - France 3:1 (2:0)

The third reason is absences in France squad. The most important player is Franck Ribery. He is injured and wont play today, as well as Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy, Abou Diaby, Jimmy Briand, Jeremy Toulalan, and Andre-Pierre Gignac.

And the final reason is national team of Republic of Ireland. They have made a big progress under good and experienced couch Giovanni Trapattoni. They have gone through this qualifications unbeaten which clearly shows their strength. The Irish are at full strength and I think they can win this first leg. Of course it is question if it will be enough for them to qualify for World Cup in South Africa.