Defending champions Portugal (POR) and world champions France (FRA) meet in the final group stage fixture of the Euro 2020. The Les Bleus has already booked their place in the last 16, while the Cristiano Ronaldo-led side is a point away from making it to the knockout stages. Both teams will be desperate to bounce back after a below-par performance in their respective last outings.
Renato Sanches could make his way into the playing 11 after his impressive second-half substitute appearance against Germany. The 23-year-old, who won the young player of the tournament award in the 2016 edition, controlled the midfield and saw one of his attempts hit the woodwork. Meanwhile, the backline, led by 38-year-old Pepe, is likely to remain unchanged and will have to regroup after being rattled by Germany in their last game.
France head coach Didier Deschamps will field a full-strength team despite France qualifying to the knockout stages. The attacking trio – Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, and Karim Benzema – will want to prove their detractors wrong with a clinical performance. They would also hope to stop Ronaldo, who hasn’t scored a goal against them. The 36-year-old and Diogo Jota used their pace to good effect against Germany.
Group F Standings
| Team |
PL |
W |
D |
L |
GS |
GC |
GD |
Pts |
| France |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
| Germany |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
| Portugal |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
| Hungary |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
-3 |
1 |
Head-to-Head
Played: 25
POR won: 6
FRA won: 18
Drawn: 1
Top Five Fantasy Points scorers (last match)
POR: C Ronaldo (16 pts), D Jota (15.5 pts), D Pereira (3 pts), B Fernandes (3 pts), R Sanches (2.5 pts)
FRA: A Griezmann (12 pts), P Kimpembe (6 pts), R Varane (6 pts), N Kante (5.5 pts), B Pavard (5 pts)
Euro 2020 Stats
Top Goalscorer: POR – C Ronaldo (3 goals); FRA – A Griezmann (1 goal)
Most Assists: POR – R Silva (2 assists); FRA – L Hernandez (1 assist)
Most Passes: POR – R Dias (141 passes); FRA – Varane (131 passes)
Most Successful Tackles: POR – Pepe, R Dias, N Semedo, R Guerreiro, B Silva, J Moutinho, C Ronaldo (1 tackle); FRA – B Pavard, P Pogba, A Griezmann (2 tackles)
Shots Saved: POR – R Patricio (8 saves); FRA – H Lloris (3 saves)
Injuries/Suspensions
POR: none
FRA: Ousmane Dembele (injured)
Playing 11
POR (possible): R Patricio; N Semedo, R Dias, Pepe, R Guerreiro; D Pereira, R Sanches, B Fernandes; B Silva, C Ronaldo, D Jota
FRA (possible): H Lloris; J Kounde, R Varane, P Kimpembe, L Hernandez; P Pogba, N Kante, C Tolisso; A Griezmann, K Benzema, K Mbappe
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Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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