Portugal vs France: Preview, prediction, team news, betting tips and odds
Portugal and France go head to head in another huge Group F clash on Wednesday night, with neither side yet guaranteed a place in the last-16 of Euro 2020.
World champions France beat Germany in their opening game of the tournament, but a surprise 1-1 draw with Hungary leaves Les Bleus with work to do - even if four points is still likely to take them through as one of the four best third-placed teams at the very least.
As for Portugal, they left it late to beat Hungary 3-0 to start strongly, but a humbling 4-2 loss to Germany was not what they needed before taking on the 2018 World Cup winners.
With Germany now looking confident of a top-two finish given they face Hungary, Portugal and France have a lot riding on thieir final group-stage game in Budapest.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Photo: Alley Sport |
Portugal vs France is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off on Wednesday, June 23, 2021.
The match will be held at the Ferenc Puskas Stadium in Budapest, Hungary.
Portugal vs France team news
Despite Fernando Santos’s cautious approach against Germant, Portugal were weak at the back and changes could be made against France, with midfielder Renato Sanches expected to start in place of Bernardo Silva.
Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema will be disappointed to have only found the net once so far. Didier Deschamps does have alternatives up front in Olivier Giroud, Kingsley Coman and Wissam Ben Yedder - but Ousmane Dembele was ruled out of the tournament on Monday with a knee injury.
Portugal vs France predicted lineups
Portugal XI: Rui Patrício; Semedo, Dias, Pepe, Guerreiro; Danilo, Renato Sanches, Bruno Fernandes; Bernardo Silva, Ronaldo, Diogo Jota
France XI: Lloris; Pavard, Varane, Kimpembe, Hernandez; Pogba, Kante, Rabiot; Griezmann, Benzema, Mbappe
Portugal vs France: Match preview
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Four days after a record-breaking performance saw him become the highest goalscorer in European Championship history, Cristiano Ronaldo was up to his usual tricks with another goal and assist against Germany, but the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had little to cheer come the final whistle on Saturday.
Two own goals in the space of four minutes from Ruben Dias and Raphael Guerreiro saw Portugal head into the half-time interval 2-1 down, and Germany would proceed to add a further two strikes through Kai Havertz and Robin Gosens before Diogo Jota restored some parity, but it was too little too late for Fernando Santos's side to launch a storming comeback.
As was the case in 2016, the reigning European champions now find themselves fighting to make one of the top two spots before the final matchday in the group of death, and if results do not go their way, Santos will have to hold on the hope that his side can progress as one of the best third-placed outfits.
It is worth remembering that Portugal failed to win any of their group matches en route to Euro 2016 glory, and a 3-0 thrashing of Hungary - albeit with all three goals coming in the dying embers - was an indication of what the champions are capable of, but Santos's side became the first Euros champions in history to concede four goals in one match last time out.
Portugal have never failed to make it out of the group stage during their previous seven appearances at the European Championships, but their fate remains in their own hands as they prepare to meet one of Ronaldo's least favoured opponents, notwithstanding his short-lived Euro 2016 final outing.
Ronaldo has faced France six times without making the net ripple, but one man who did manage to breach Les Bleus' defence was Hungary's Attila Fiola, who raced free and poked home at the near post to send the Puskas Arena crowd into delirium.
Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann were all guilty of some wasteful finishing on the day, but the latter would rescue a point for Les Bleus with a 66th-minute equaliser, although that 1-1 draw felt much more like a win for Hungary and their stadium full of jubilant supporters.
Portugal vs France: Betting tips and odds
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France to Win
We're backing France to do a professional job against Portugal, making their opponents play their game rather than the all-out attacking style that Ronaldo and co have been playing so far. France have a good record against Portugal, winning five of the pair's last seven encounters with the most recent arriving in November 2020. France have also won five of their last six international matches and remain the favourites to go all the way and win Euro 2020.
Under 2.5 Goals
Five of the last six meetings between Portugal and France have produced under 2.5 goals, with Portugal failing to score in four of those low-scoring games. Portugal might have scored 5-goals in their opening two matches but they were against sides with weaker defences than France. The French have only conceded 1-goal in their last six fixtures and we expect them to control their final group game against Portugal.
1-0 to France
Four of the last six meetings between these two countries have produced 1-0 wins, three of which have gone the way of France. France won 1-0 when these two sides met in the Nations League back in November and we're backing another narrow win for the French on Wednesday. Frane have kept four clean sheets in their last six games against Portugal as well as keep clean sheets in five of their last six international matches, so you can see why a 1-0 win looks so appealing.
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