Portugal vs France: Reigning European champions risk missing the playoffs

Portugal and France are the reigning European and world champions, respectively. Who will be able to get points in the battle of such powerful teams? We think that the French will be closer to success.

Portugal play at Euro 2020 as the reigning continental champion, but things are extremely difficult for them. Already in the first round, they suffered with the main outsider of Group F Hungarians. The Portuguese were never able to open the scoring, and then conceded a goal, but it was cancelled due to offside. This encouraged the Portuguese to score three goals in the end - 3-0. Fernando Santos’s charges began much more actively with the Germans and even opened the scoring in the 15th minute, but then the opponents added more pace and forced the Portuguese to capitulate - 2:4. The European champions have a game against the world champions ahead, which could be their last game of the tournament.

France have already secured their place in the play-offs. Yes, in theory, they could still drop to third place in Group F, but they are already ahead of Ukraine and Finland in the rankings, so they have already achieved their goal. Nevertheless, for the reigning World Champions, such a modest performance in the group stage seems unacceptable, and in addition, they have been showing quite good football. Yes, they had a misfiring 1-1 draw against Hungary in their last game, but there were plenty of chances for Didier Deschamps’ side as well, and they got a quality, albeit pragmatic, win against Germany 1-0.

There is only one point separating the French and the Portuguese before the start of the third round, but it is very important. Didier Deschamps’ side have already secured their place in the group, so there is no pressure on them at the moment. But Fernando Santos’s side, if they lose, especially by a heavy defeat, risk missing the playoffs, which could make them nervous, although their experience is more than enough. The Portuguese have not been very impressive so far at the Euro 2020 tournament, while the French look more cohesive, stable and productive, so we recommend betting on a win for the French team with the odds around 2.29.

Portugal are in the “group of death”, where pragmatism and focus on results should prevail, but their results show nothing of the sort. They crushed the Hungarians 3-0 and lost to the Germans 2-4. Yes, the upcoming battle will be decisive, but with their defence, the Portuguese can hardly count on a 0-0 score, and the French were too modest in the attacking in the first two games, which is unacceptable for the reigning world champions. As a result, Total Over 2.5 goals with the odds close to 2.43 seems to be the best option for the prediction.

France have so far scored only two goals at the European Championships, one of which was an own goal by Mats Hummels, and the other was scored by Antoine Griezmann. The Barcelona forward has already scored three goals for his national team in the last four meetings, and he was the top scorer at the last UEFA EURO 2016, scoring six goals. The continental competition is a very comfortable one for the 30-year-old, so a bet on Antoine Griezmann’s goal is worth looking into at around 3.50.