Portugal vs. France Prediction on July 5, 2024

Match info

We’re picking runner-up in the last World Cup to win at Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, Germany, on Friday night (July 5 at 9 p.m. local time) in the men’s 2024 UEFA European Football Championship quarterfinal matchup between France and Portugal. The odds provided by betting sites in Europe all point to the same outcome.

Meeting statistics

Portugal has been a major attraction at Euro 2024 for a variety of reasons, while France has been incredibly ineffective.

If you count their warm-up games, “Les Bleus” (the “Blues”) have let up one goal in six games, although they’ve only managed three goals in their last four tournament appearances. Portugal defeated Czechia 2-1 in the 92nd minute, then destroyed Turkey 3-0 and fell short against Georgia 2-0, but it kept its greatest performance for the Round of 16.

Despite its best efforts, Roberto Martínez’s team was unable to overcome Slovenia for 90 minutes plus extra time. Portugal’s talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, later dubbed “Misstiano Penaldo” for missing from the spot, was the main source of the social media roasting. That might be a cruel pun on a guy who has won everything at the club level and scored his last 13 penalty kicks, but his toddler-like outbursts during the game after missing big chances warrant it. For example, Bernardo Silva’s luxurious cross appeared to be destined for Ronaldo, but he misjudged his leap and only managed to get off the ground. Football’s highest-paid player has lined up free kicks on multiple occasions with a level of grandeur that belonged to him in the past 10 years, only to miss the mark. It won’t be as simple to get away with the team’s inability to get beyond Slovenia’s full-backs and its unhealthy fixation with getting the ball to Ronaldo against a determined French defense.

No team has given up fewer goals, maintained more clean sheets, or had more touches in the opposition box than France, despite its lackluster performance on the pitch. Thirty-four of those touches have been made by Kylian Mbappé, indicating that his teammates are positioning their star player in risky situations. Consider him isolating Pepe, in particular, seems like a utopia. Putting Didier Deschamps’s star forward is simpler. It seems like fortune is on their side in Germany, despite the fact that they’ve been missing opportunities, as they’re creating plenty of them.

In “A Seleção das Quinas” (the “Team of the Escutcheons”), Ronaldo will start ahead of Bruno Fernandes in the attack, but Rafael Leão might be substituted following a lackluster showing against Slovenia. Although Pepe appeared to be in pieces and his late mistakes almost cost Portugal the game, he should be chosen to play on Friday.

Aurélien Tchouaméni will continue to play in the base of the midfield for France because he has started his team’s past three games and performed admirably in the 1-0 victory over Belgium. As neither Randal Kolo Muani nor Marcus Thuram has shown much promise, Mbappé may be used more in the middle, with Bradley Barcola or Ousmane Dembélé playing wide.

Head-to-head

Between 1978 and 2015, Portugal lost all 10 games against “Les Bleus”; however, the last four encounters, including a 2-2 tie in the Euro 2020 group stage, have been evenly split.

Match analytics

It really is all to play for on Friday night because neither side has particularly impressed thus far in the tournament. After four games, France has yet to score from open play, relying instead on one penalty and two own goals from rivals thus far. Pepe and the Portuguese defense are proving to be the real puzzle for opponents. We don’t expect any goals in the first halftime, after which France will manage to outplay Portugal and win.

Tip: Halftime/Fulltime – X/1, with odds of 5.50 on Super Sport.

Results of the forecast

Forecast failed. Portugal vs. France 0(3):0(5)