In a replay of the 2016 European Championship Final, Portugal will be looking to beat France again for a spot in the Semi-finals. However, itβs much more likely that France will redeem that Final loss from eight years ago.
Kylian Mbappe has already got himself off the mark at the Euros and looks to find the back of the net for France to give them the win in what is likely to be a close game.
Portugal started showing signs of frustration in their Round of 16 tie against Slovakia, with Nuno Mendes, Pepe and Bruno Fernandes all likely to commit two fouls or pick up a yellow card.
We predict: Portugal 0β1 France
Portugal vs. France - Preview
The Quarter-finals of the European Championships sees Portugal and France face off in a rematch of the Final back in 2016. This Friday will determine who will reach the final four of the tournament.
Date: 05/07/2024
Kick-off time: 20:00
Location: Volksparkstadion
After a somewhat poor showing from both sides in the Round of 16, both Portugal and France will be looking to cement themselves as the side to watch going into the Semi-finals.
Portugal finished top of Group F after three games. In those three games, Portugal picked up two wins and one loss, leaving them on six points, equal with Turkey but above them on goal difference.
This is only Portugalβs ninth appearance at the European Championships since their debut back in 1984. Portugal has made the Semi-finals on three occasions, most recently in 2012 before they won their first title in 2016. The last time out in the tournament saw Portugal exit at the Round of 16 stage.
France, on the other hand, could only finish second in Group D. In three games, France picked up one win and two draws, leaving them on five points, one point behind group winners Austria.
This is Franceβs 11th appearance at the Euros since their debut in 1960. France have won the competition twice in their history, in 1984 as hosts and in 2000. Their last Final appearance was back as hosts again in 2016, where they lost to Portugal and also, like their opponents, they went out at the Round of 16 in 2021.
Portugal and France have met 28 times in their histories, with the first meeting coming in an international friendly back in 1926. France has the better record in the fixture with 19 wins in comparison to Portugalβs six wins, the other three games ending in a draw.
The last five games in this fixture have seen two wins for France, two draws and one win for Portugal. This fixture rarely sees both sides on the scoresheet, with four of the last five games having just one side find the back of the net.
Where to Watch
Watch France vs. Portugal and every UEFA Euro 2024 match on FOX, FS1, and the Fox Sports App.
Portugal vs. France - Team News
Portugal Team News
Roberto Martinez is likely to stick with his usual 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 formation he has used throughout this tournament. Despite his penalty miss, Cristiano Ronaldo will likely stay up top with Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and Rafael Leao in support.
France Team News
Didier Deschamps is also likely to continue with his preferred 4 - 3 - 3 formation. Randal Kolo Muani may come in to replace Marcus Thuram up front, with Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe on the wings.
Portugal vs. France - Recent Form
In their last five games in all competitions, Portugal have four wins and one loss.
In an international friendly back in June, Portugal hosted Ireland. The visitors were restricted to just one shot on target in 31% of the possession as Joao Felix opened the scoring for Portugal, and a brace from Ronaldo secured the 3β0 win for Portugal.
The first game of the Euros Group stage saw Portugal take on Czechia. After a goalless first half, Lukas Provod opened the scoring for Czechia just after the hour mark. An own goal from Robin Hranac drew Portugal level just five minutes later, and a goal from Francisco Conceicao in the 92nd minute gave Portugal the 2 - 1 win.
The next time out for Portugal in the Group stage was against Turkey. Silva gave Portugal the lead in the 21st minute and an own goal from Samet Akaydin doubled the lead before halftime. Early in the second half, Fernandes found the back of the net to secure the 3β0 win for Portugal.
The final Group stage game saw Portugal face Georgia. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gave Georgia an early lead in the second minute, and a second half penalty from Georges Mikautadze grabbed a shock 2β0 win for Georgia.
The last time out for Portugal was against Slovenia in the Round of 16. Portugal had 20 shots in 120 minutes, but only six of them were on target, as Ronaldo missed a penalty in extra time. However, Diogo Costa came up good in the penalty shoot-out, saving all three Slovenia penalties to give Portugal the 3β0 win.
In their last five games in all competitions, France have two wins and three draws.
The last international friendly before the Euros saw France take on Canada. France had just four shots on target and failed to convert any of them, but Canada failed to register a single shot on target as the game finished a 0β0 draw.
The first game of the Euros Group stage saw France face Austria. An own goal from Maximilian Wober in the 38th minute was the only goal of the game in the 1β0 win for France, who had just three shots on target.
A big clash against the Netherlands was up next for France. Once again they struggled in front of goal, but so did their opponents as the anticipated game ended in a 0β0 draw.
The final game of the Group stage saw France take on Poland. France got back on the scoresheet through a penalty from Mbappe just before the hour, but a late penalty from Robert Lewandowski forced a 1β1 draw.
The most recent outing for France was against Belgium in the Round of 16. An own goal from Jan Vertonghen was the only goal of the game in the 85th minute to give France the 1β0 win.
European Championship - Group F
Pos
Club
P
W
D
L
GD
PTS
1
Portugal
3
2
0
1
+2
6
2
TΓΌrkiye
3
2
0
1
0
6
3
Georgia
3
1
1
1
0
4
Last updated 21/12/2024
European Championship - Group D
Pos
Club
P
W
D
L
GD
PTS
1
Austria
3
2
0
1
+2
6
2
France
3
1
2
0
+1
5
3
Netherlands
3
1
1
1
0
4
Last updated 21/12/2024
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