Friday's Euro 2024 quarter-final at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg is set to be a thrilling match, reminiscent of the 2016 final. Portugal, led by Roberto Martinez, edged past a determined Slovenia side in a dramatic penalty shootout, while France narrowly defeated Belgium 1-0.
In a dramatic match at Deutsche Bank Park, Portugal's superstar Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't find the net, despite his best efforts. Slovenia's goalkeeper Jan Oblak made a crucial extra-time penalty save against the 39-year-old, leading to Ronaldo's tears. Portugal held off Slovenia for the final 15 minutes, and during the penalty shootout, Diogo Costa emerged as the hero, saving three penalties and helping Portugal advance to the quarter-finals.
This win marks Portugal's seventh quarter-final appearance in the European Championship, a record since 1996. Their only quarter-final losses have been against the Czech Republic in 1996 and Germany in 2008. If Portugal can overcome France, they will face either Spain or Germany in the semi-finals.
Despite their success, Portugal has struggled to score in their last two matches, including a surprising 2-0 loss to Georgia in their final group game. France has also faced challenges in their attack, with no goals from open play in their four Euro 2024 matches so far. However, their solid defense has kept them in the competition, with three clean sheets in four games.
France's only goals in the group stage came from an Austrian defender's own goal and a Kylian Mbappe penalty. In their knockout match against Belgium, a deflected goal by Randal Kolo Muani secured their win. France's defense has been outstanding, conceding only one goal in their last six matches, a penalty from Poland's Robert Lewandowski.
As Portugal prepares to face France, the spotlight will be on the match-up between Ronaldo and Mbappe. In their memorable 2016 final, Portugal won thanks to a goal from Eder. However, Portugal has only won once in their last 13 encounters with France, with their last match ending in a 2-2 draw in the 2021 group stage.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Martinez and the Portugal physios will need to thoroughly assess their players after Monday's 120-minute game, but there are no serious fitness concerns for the 2016 champions ahead of the quarter-final.Therefore, Martinez is likely to field the same starting XI on Friday. This will give Cristiano Ronaldo his 212th cap, although he has yet to score in the tournament despite 20 attempts. Only four other male players in Euros history have had more shots without scoring.
Diogo Jota and Francisco Conceicao are potential substitutes, but Silva and Rafael Leao are expected to keep their places in the attack. Similarly, Vitinha and Joao Palhinha are likely to remain in the midfield. Palhinha is reportedly close to completing a move from Fulham to Bayern Munich, a transfer Martinez described as "very important" in a pre-game press conference.
France, on the other hand, will have to make one change to their starting lineup. Adrien Rabiot is suspended after receiving his second yellow card of the tournament in the last-16 win over Belgium. Rabiot, now a free agent after leaving Juventus, will be replaced, with Ousmane Dembele, Eduardo Camavinga, Youssouf Fofana, or Warren Zaire-Emery all potential candidates.
The only other potential absentee for France is Kingsley Coman, who has left the camp for the birth of his child. Coach Didier Deschamps is expected to choose Camavinga to replace Rabiot and stick with the formation used against Belgium.
In that match, Rabiot played in a diamond midfield, allowing Marcus Thuram to partner with Kylian Mbappe up front. However, Thuram was substituted after an hour and might be replaced by Randal Kolo Muani.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Portugal possible starting lineup:Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Pepe, Mendes; Palhinha, Vitinha; Silva, Fernandes, Leao; Ronaldo
France possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano, Hernandez; Kante, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Griezmann; Mbappe, Kolo Muani
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
Portugal 0-1 France
Portugal, having failed to score in their last two matches, faces a French team that has only conceded one goal in their last six games. This suggests that Portugal might struggle offensively once again, although their defense should be able to hold up well against France's similarly lackluster attack.
It's uncertain if any of Deschamps's players will finally score from open play on Friday, but the 2018 World Cup champions have other ways to find the back of the net. Given their solid defense and ability to score when it counts, another narrow victory for France could end Ronaldo's Euros career.
