France vs Portugal
Two of Europe’s aristocracy meet at the Stade de France on Sunday when Portugal head to France in a clash of the UEFA Nations League Group A3 joint leaders.
France vs Portugal is the meeting of the current World Champions and the European Champions, and both have started this campaign with two victories, so top place is the prize for the winner of this mouthwatering tie.
Some of the world’s best players will be on show, notably France’s in-form superstar Kylian Mbappe and Portugal’s talisman in Cristiano Ronaldo.
And the latest France vs Portugal betting odds here at SBOTOP point to a fascinating tussle with Didier Deschamps’ hosts marginal favourites. Both teams are in a rich vein of form and Portugal will have plenty to say about the outcome.
Talking Points
Les Bleus are on fire
France warmed up for this game by displaying all their attacking flair and weaponry in a 7-1 mauling of Andriy Shevchenko’s Ukraine.
It was a ruthless destruction of a depleted Ukraine side, but any defence in the world would have struggled to withstand the red-hot French.
Olivier Giroud marked his 100th international call-up with his 42nd goal as Les Bleus romped to victory.
That strike made the Chelsea striker France’s second top scorer of all time, ahead of the legendary Michel Platini and now only behind Thierry Henry who scored 51 for his country.
Olivier Giroud celebrates scoring a brace with his teammates during a friendly match against Ukraine
Giroud holds second place in the scoring charts, but this current crop of strikers at Deschamps’s disposal are hot on his heels.
Mbappe was in superb form and he bagged a goal against Ukraine to take his tally to 15, and at 21 years of age I’d expect him to catch both Giroud and Henry.
And then there’s Antoine Griezmann who is on 32, and at 29 years of age he has five years on the Chelsea man.
Mbappe was distraught when PSG lost the Champions League final to FC Bayern in August, but it was another Frenchman in Kingsley Coman who scored the winner that day and he too could be in for a start.
The conveyor belt of French stars keeps on rolling with 17-year-old sensation Eduardo Camavinga also scoring on his first start for les Bleus.
In France’s recent Nations League tie against Croatia even centre-back Dayot Upamecamo scored alongside Griezmann and Giroud.
It’s a frightening prospect for any defence but a lovely problem for the head coach.
“I hope the 24 players I’ve called up will get some playing time,” said Deschamps. “And I hope they make the most of it.”
Portugal fighting hard to defend their crown
As well as winning the 2016 European Championships, Fernando Santos’ Portugal won the inaugural Nations League and they have started the new campaign in a mood determined to defend their title.
They were far too good for Croatia in their opener, winning 4-1 even without Ronaldo, who then scored his 100th and 101st international goals in the 2-0 defeat of Sweden.
Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix and new Liverpool signing Diogo Jota were on target against Croatia and they will hope for a start.
Santos lined up a good warmup for his team this week and they responded well with a strong display against neighbours Spain.
Ronaldo was one of two Portugal players to hit the crossbar after their defence had done well to withstand an attacking Spain side, and that augers well for the upcoming test against Les Bleus.
Borussia Dortmund’s Raphael Guerreiro will marshal the defence and there could be a start for new Wolves recruit Nelson Semedo at full-back.
History
Santos’ team may want to skip over the head-to-head France vs Portugal results in the run up to this game as they tell a tale of French domination with Les Bleus winning 18 of the 25 meetings and drawing one, with Portugal snatching six victories.
But Portugal won the biggest match between the two, winning the Euro 2016 final after extra time in France while les Bleus won the previous 10 clashes.
Both teams come into the game in good form. France are on a winning streak of five and are unbeaten in 10 while Portugal are unbeaten in five.
Betting Tip
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France vs Portugal | Total Goals 2-3 @ 1.82 |
| October 12, 2:45 AM (GMT+8) |
What a game we have in store here friends! Both teams have sparkling talent up front, and plenty of quality right through the team.
The odds leave the outcome wide open with Les Bleus at 2.05 to win, Portugal at 3.50 and the draw at 3.01.
This game means a lot to both nations and they won’t be gung-ho.
It really could go either way, so I’m backing both teams to score and each defence to do a good job of stopping an avalanche of goals.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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The post UEFA Nations League: France and Portugal Battle For Top Spot appeared first on SBOTOP.