Spain vs France Bet Builder Tips: Stars to shine on both sides in 50/1 shot

Stuttgart's MHP Arena stages a heavyweight international football showdown on Thursday (20:00, Prime Video), as Spain and France lock horns in the Uefa Nations League semi-finals.

Below are my Spain vs France Bet Builder Tips ahead of this midweek meeting, with both nations eyeing up a spot in Sunday's final at the Allianz Arena.

Player to Score at Anytime - Lamine Yamal (SPA)

Lamine Yamal had already made a name for himself on the European stage, starring in Spain's Euro 2024 victory in Germany last year, but the 2024/25 season is where he cemented himself as not just one of the best young talents in the world, but one of the best players full stop.

The 17-year-old, who doesn't turn 18 until July 13, scored 18 goals and registered 21 assists in 55 appearances for Barcelona.

Yamal's form, at least numerically, wasn't as hot for Spain, with just a single goal and assist apiece in five Nations League matches.

However, that strike came last time out, in the 103rd minute of La Roja's quarter-final success against the Netherlands. It was Yamal's fourth goal in 19 appearances for his country, and there should be plenty more to come.

The one black mark against Yamal's name had been his goalscoring record, which was still sensational for a player of his own age. But he ended the season in fine form in front of goal, notching in four of his final seven games. They were high-profile strikes, too, as he got Barca back in the game when they were 2-0 down in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie with Inter Milan, before he scored in a 4-2 El Clasico win against Real Madrid and a 2-0 derby victory over Espanyol.

He will no doubt be looking for more goals this international window to further push his Ballon d'Or claims, and you have to fancy his chances of scoring at least once on Thursday. Lucas Digne or Theo Hernandez are likely to be his direct opponents, and I just can't see either of them being able to stop the teenage sensation, who scored when the nations last met in July last year.

Football Odds

Player to Score at Anytime - Michael Olise (FRA)

Likewise, Bayern Munich and France star Michael Olise, known more for his assists than his record in front of goal, concluded his club campaign in scintillating goalscoring form.

The 23-year-old found the net in his final four appearances for Bayern, taking his club season tally to 17, adding to his 19 assists.

The similarities don't stop there with Yamal, who also likes to cut in from the right on his left foot and bend efforts into the far corner.

Like the Barca star, Olise didn't burst onto the international scene with a flurry of goals, failing to score in his first five senior caps, but he was on target in France's most recent match, opening the scoring in Les Bleus' 2-0 victory over Croatia that sent the second leg of their quarter-final tie to penalties.

On Wednesday, Olise will be looking to build on his first international goal scored in March, and he may well find success up against Spain, who have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last four games, shipping eight goals in that run.

Kylian Mbappe Total Shots - 3+

It's been a strange old season for Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe, who, despite scoring 43 times in 56 appearances for his club side in 2024/25, failed to live up to expectations.

Los Blancos fluffed their lines in La Liga and the Champions League, two competitions they won last season, and the club Mbappe left last summer, Paris Saint-Germain, were crowned champions of Europe last Saturday.

The 26-year-old can't be accused of hiding, however, as he averaged 4.7 shots per game in La Liga and 3.6 per game in the Champions League.

Mbappe has been even more trigger-happy for France, averaging five shots per game, despite only three of his four Nations League appearances coming as a starter.

He shot twice against Italy on September 6 and four times against Belgium three days later, before letting fly 14 times across two legs against Croatia in March.

Spain and France last met in the semi-finals of Euro 2024, where Mbappe blanked in front of goal but racked up four shots, only one of which went on target.

Three shots, then, are surely well within his capabilities on Thursday.

Spain vs France Odds

Match Result - Spain

I'm expecting both teams to score at the MHP Arena, but it's Spain who I think will emerge as the winners after regulation time.

Luis de la Fuente's side haven't lost a game since suffering a 1-0 friendly defeat to Colombia in March last year, with their last loss against European opposition coming against Scotland in March 2023.

La Roja may have stumbled slightly in the quarter-finals of the Nations League, requiring penalties to see off the Netherlands, but 18 games unbeaten is seriously impressive, and on Thursday, they face a French outfit that have struggled in the last year.

Didier Deschamps' charges only won one of their two group games at Euro 2024 and scraped past Belgium and Portugal in the first two knockout rounds before being outclassed by Spain. Les Bleus began their Nations League campaign with a 3-1 defeat at home to Italy, and they also drew 0-0 on home soil to Israel before losing 2-0 to Croatia in the first leg of their quarter-final tie.

It will be interesting to see their starting XI against Spain, with Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola, Warren Zaire-Emery and Lucas Hernandez all involved in PSG's Champions League Final celebrations at the weekend. Inter's Marcus Thuram also started his side's 5-0 defeat in Munich, and Deschamps may opt to leave those involved last Saturday on the bench to begin with.

Spain, by contrast, only had PSG's Fabian Ruiz involved from either side, and should have the fresher squad heading into this semi-final showdown.

Offers

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