France vs Albania, Euro 2016: Where to watch live, preview, prediction, betting odds and possible XI

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France take on Albania in their second Group A game in the Euro 2016 at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on Wednesday (15 June)

Where to watch live

Kick-off is at 8pm BST. Live TV coverage in the UK is available on ITV 1. Radio commentary is available on BBC Radio 5 live. Live TV coverage in India is available on Sony Six and Sony ESPN, with mobile and online coverage available on SonyLiv. Kick-off is at 12.30am IST (Thursday).

Click here to get a list of Euro 2016 broadcasters all across the globe.

Overview

Didier Deschamps will have some big calls to make before France face Albania at the Stade Velodrome on Wednesday. The Les Bleus secured a last gasp victory over Romania in their opening match of Euro 2016 courtesy of Dimitri Payet's wonder strike, but it was all possible only after the West Ham United midfielder was moved to the No 10 role following the withdrawal of Paul Pogba and introduction of Anthony Martial on the left.

It is unlikely that the manager will change his starting lineup based on one game, but Payet's form will be taken into consideration should the Juventus midfielder put in another inconsistent performance against Albania. The French will be favourites to claim their second win and book a place in the round of 16.

Antoine Griezmann also had an off day in front of goal, but is likely to keep his place ahead of Kinsley Coman, while Olivier Giroud will be glad to have scored a goal after missing a clutch of chances earlier in the game.

Albania, on the other hand, are coming into the game on the back of a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Switzerland and are still looking for their first European Championship point. They put in a spirited performance against the Swiss in their opening game, despite playing 54 minutes with 10 men after their captain Loric Cana was sent off for two bookable offences. They were unlucky not to equalise in the end as the Swiss had their goalkeeper to thank for keeping them in the game on more than one occasion.

France will be favourites to take all three points when they face the debutants, but will be wary as they have failed to beat them in their last two meetings, with the latter winning 1-0 when they met in an international friendly just over a year back.

Prediction

• France to win

Betting Odds (betfair)

• France win: 1/4
• Draw: 9/2
• Albania win: 14

What Manager's say

Didier Deschamps (France): "There'll be a great atmosphere, the crowd will be really fired up. This is a proper stadium. The new Vélodrome is synonymous with a proper football atmosphere. It's always great to come back – I was last here in 2014. Back then it was still being renovated, but it's nice to be here and see people who I spent time with as a coach and player.

Albania are very organised because they have an Italian coach, who has done a great job. They defend well but don't settle on that – they're good at breaking forward quickly. They work hard and its impressive how much ground they cover. We saw that against Switzerland, where they deserved to equalise at the end."

Gianni de Biasi (Albania): "We know France well. They're playing at home and will be driven on. We'll try to limit as much as possible some of their play and try to break when we get the chance. Kingsley Coman has really skyrocketed in terms of his ability. N'Golo Kante has been a surprise – he was incredible in the Premier League. France are one of the best sides in the world.

We played quite well against Switzerland and blew an opportunity to score. For the best part of an hour we held firm against a good side with a better FIFA ranking than us. We have worked on trying to find the right balance and want put into action everything we have done in training."

Team News

France

Possible XI: Lloris; Sagna, Rami, Koscielny, Evra; Kanté, Matuidi; Pogba, Payet, Griezmann; Giroud.

Albania

Possible XI: Berisha; Hysaj, Ajeri, Mavraj, Agolli; Kukeli, Xhaka; Roshi, Abrashi, Lenjani; Sadiku.