The Round of 16 hosted a shocking Italian side being beaten and not pushing onwards to back-to-back Euro champs. With a fantastic match see Spain go through after Merino's winner against Germany in the 119th minute, the remaining three matches in the playoffs to see are keeping fans on the edge of their seats with the unpredictability of Euro 2024.
(Screenshot of FotMob's layout of the remaining matches of the Eruo's)
France vs Portugal
Who is going to face Spain in the semi-finals? France and Portugal face off in less than an hour to fill that void in the tournament. Relying on form, Portugal has one their last 4 games out of five while France has only won 2. On paper the French side has always been contending as a top five side in Europe, but could we see a falling out against Portugal?
Lineups
(Portugal):
GK: Costa
RB: Concelo
CB: Dias
CB: Pepe
LB: Mendes
CM: Vitinha
CM: Palhinha
LM: Leao
RM: Silva
CAM: Fernandes
ST: Ronaldo (C)
(France):
GK: Maignan
RB: Kounde
CB: Upamecano
CB: Saliba
LB: Hernandez
LCM: Camavinga
CM: Tchouamni
RCM: Kante
CAM: Griezmann
ST: Muani
ST: Mbappe (C)
It is worth noting the success of this Portuguese side however the depth is not in their favor. France's top goal scorer, Olivier Giroud, along with young talent all across the board that are proven and successful. Portugal are going to rely on a stellar performance from their starting Xl.
Both teams have shown the egos in the locker room can overrule the possible success in the team. Despite the form, it is hard to say that Portugal and overtake France in this showing. With 3 DMs for France covering the playmaking of Fernandes and Silva, it will be difficult for Leao and Ronaldo to get the ball behind the line with the additional wall of the French defense. The best chance Portugal has is to get Ronaldo the ball at his feet against the not-as-experienced French CB pairing and for Leao to go in a foot race against Kounde. In addition, Ronaldo has one of the highest vertical leaps that football has ever seen. A cross from Silva or a corner from Fernandes could see a lead from Portugal early on.
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