France vs Portugal – Prediction
Portugal to Win (AET) – (2-1) – France have gotten the better of Portugal in each of their three previous meetings in major tournaments (Euro 1984, 2000 & World Cup 2006). Both these teams have found form at the right time and are deservedly standing tall as the final two. France are the stronger unit in attack while Portugal have been resolute in defense. The Blues may have the more popular names in their squad but Portugal are a team that has been well drilled to play according to their game plan. It promises to be an intriguing clash and it will be the better team that’ll win rather than any individual brilliance. It may end up as (1-1) in full time with Portugal either winning through a extra time goal or by Penalty shootout.
Fixture Overview
Match 51
France vs Portugal
Stade de France, Saint Denis
9 PM C.E.T, 10-07-2016
Betting Tips – France vs Portugal
- The Winner
For the 1st time in this tournament we’ve preferred to stay away from picking a outright winner. France do have the star power but Portugal have proven that they’re willing to grind it out to get the result. The first goal will be crucial and if France are the ones to get it then it will be fairly open end to end game from then, however if Portugal are to get it then Santos will be parking a double-decker bus in front of their goal. I’m favoring Portugal because they’ve found ways to win till now even when there isn’t one.
- Portugal Win – 4.60 (totesports.com)
- Draw – 3.20 (Paddypower)
- France Win – 2.10 (Bet 365)
The odds on offer for a Portuguese win or a Draw is good enough so the onus is on you.
- Both teams to Score – Yes – 2.30 (William Hill)
With kind of attacking talent on show in Saint-Denis their is bound to be goals. We are back both the teams to score atleast one and the third to settle the game.
- Euro 2016 Champion
Like the Winner bet we are staying away from this one too but for your convenience the odds are listed below.
- Portugal – 2.90 (Paddypower)
- France – 1.45 (Sportingbet)
- Anytime Goalscorer – Cristiano Ronaldo – 3.25 (Betvictor)
Big players need to rise up to big occasions. Sunday may possibly be Cristiano Ronaldo’s final chance to ever add a international trophy to his already legendary resume. We believe in him and even if Portugal end up second best he won’t be one slacking off.
Coming to this bet Antoine Griezmann rightly so is the popular choice but i believe Sunday is Ronaldo’s day and that we may see a stunning freekick.
- Antoine Griezmann – 2.75 (Ladbrokes)
- Olivier Giroud – 3.45 (888 Sport)
- Nani – 6.00(totesport.com)
[sc name=”sportbooks” ]
Route to Euro 2016 Final
France
Having qualified for the tournament as the hosts, France qualified for the knockout rounds as the winners of Group A. In the round of 16’s they were tested by the Republic of Ireland but still came out as 2-1 winners.
In the quarter finals they outplayed their opponents Iceland to win 5-2 after taking a 4-0 lead in the 1st half. The semifinals saw them pitted against the World Champions Germany but came out on top as 2-0 winners.
Group Stage
France vs Romania – (2-1)
France vs Albania – (2-0)
France vs Switzerland – (0-0)
Round of 16’s
France vs Republic of Ireland – (2-1)
Quarter Final
France vs Iceland – (5-2)
Semi Final
France vs Germany – (2-0)
Portugal
Portugal qualified for Euro 2016 as the winner of their qualifying group. In the group stage they could manage only 3 points drawing all their three games and scrapped through to the knockouts as one of the top 4 3rd placed teams.
In the round of 16’s they faced formidable opposition from Croatia but came out as 1-0 winners. In the quarter finals they had go to the full length of a penalty shoot to get the better of Poland & in the Semi’s they produced their best performance of the tournament to beat Wales 2-0.
Group Stage
Portugal vs Iceland – (1-1)
Portugal vs Austria – (0-0)
Portugal vs Hungry – (3-3)
Round of 16’s
Portugal vs Croatia (A.E.T) – (1-0)
Quarter Final
Portugal vs Poland – (1-1)
(5-3) – Penalty Shootout
Semi Final
Portugal vs Wales – (2-0)
France Betting Tips
Pic: – Griezmann ( 6 goals) – 1st player since Micheal Platini(9) 1984 to score than 5 goals in the European Championship.
As most of the bookies & pundits had predicted at the start of the tournament, France have once again made it to the finals of the European Championships. Having won the competition in 1984 & 2000 they’ve never lost in the finals of the Euros. France however did lose in the last major tournament final they had appeared in, losing to Italy via Penalties in World Cup 2006.
After a shaky start to the tournament when they had to resort to injury time goals to beat Romania & Albania, France have stamped their authority as the host nation in the quarter & semifinals. They will start as the favorites on Sunday against a team whom they’ve beaten in each of their last 10 meetings.
Much of France’s makeover in the knockout rounds has been down to the performance of Antoine Griezmann who was incidentally benched in their 2nd group game against Albania. The Atleti striker had a less than desirable return of just goal from the three group games but has slotted in 5 goals in the 3 knockout round games. His linkup play with Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud was the key in their wins against Iceland & Germany.
France have scored the most number of goals in this tournament with 13 & one more goal will equal their own tally set in Euro 1984. Apart from Griezmann, Olivier Giroud & Payet have chipped in three goals while Pogba has one to his name.
Apart from the 1960 European Championship, France have won both the other major tournaments (Euro 1984 & World Cup 1998) which they’ve hosted. Didier Deschamps who was France’s captain during their 1998 World Cup & Euro 2000 triumphs has a chance to join Berti Vogts in winning the Euro’s as both a player and a manager.
Didier Deschamps has no injuries nor suspensions to worry about and may choose to field the same starting 11 as in the previous two games.
France Top Scorer
- Antoine Griezmann – 1.29 (Betvictor)
- Dimitri Payet – 6.00 (Betvictor)
- Oliver Giroud – 6.00 (Betvictor)
Griezmann with 6 goals till now is 3 goals ahead of both Payet and Giroud. This is a sure fire bet if there is any and even if the returns won’t be too much it’s better to have something than nothing. The above mentioned odds are sure to drop anytime so make use of it while it’s still up.
Euro 2016 Golden Boot
- Antoine Griezmann – 1.01 (888 Sport)
- Cristiano Ronaldo – 51.00 (Skybet)
- Dimitri Payet – 65.00 (888 Sport)
- Olivier Giroud – 101.00 (Skybet)
- Nani – 150.00 (888 Sport)
Gareth Bale was our pick at the start of the tournament but despite a valiant effort by the Real Madrid star he could not add to his 3 goal tally from the group stage. Apart from Griezmann all the currently active top scorers have three goals a piece. While Ronaldo or Giroud scoring a hat trick is not something you would call impossible it’s hard to see one coming in what promises to be a edgy final.
Euro 2016 Semi & Quarter Final Bet Tips
It’s been a long tournament but a good one at that. France vs Portugal promises to be a great game but before you place your money based on our bet tips you might want to check our track record so far. So here it is: –
Quarter Final
Semi Final
*Predictions are not betting tips but merely a personal opinion
[sc name=”sportbooks” ]
Portugal Betting Tips
Portugal weren’t expected by many to reach this stage at the start of the tournament. In the group stages they drew against the likes of Iceland, Austria & Hungry and scrapped through to the knockouts as one of the best 3rd placed teams. They weren’t convincing against either Croatia or Poland but still got the wins via extra time goal & penalty shootout.
In the semifinals they produced their best performance of the tournament and got the better of Wales 2-0. They are in the finals now and will start as the underdogs against France. This is only their 2nd ever appearance in the finals of Euro’s and the memories of their 2004 Final’s defeat should still be fresh in the memories of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Hosting the 2004 European Championship Portugal had a star studded side with the likes of Luis Figo, Deco & a 19yr old Cristiano Ronaldo. They reached finals beating Netherlands in the semifinals and were the overwhelming favorites against Greece. Ronaldo that day had played the entire 90 minutes against Greece as they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat.
Portugal are yet to loose in the 13 competitive games under coach Fernando Santos winning 9 and drawing 4. Portugal who have been praised for their defensive setup have registered 36 shots on target till now which is the same number as their opponents on Sunday.
Like Ronaldo in 2004 Renato Sanches, the new Bayern Munich recruit has been impressive in this tournament. At just 18 years of age he has the pace, strength and composure to be top player. Ronaldo on the other hand is yet to strike full form. He did score one and provided the other against Wales but is yet to find his club form. Ronaldo needs one more goal to move ahead of Platini as the all time European Championship top scorer.
No team has ever won a major tournament having qualified from their group in 3rd place. The only other two cases when 3rd placed qualifiers have reached the finals was when Argentina reached the 1990 World Cup & Italy reached the 1990 European Championships. Both the teams lost their respective finals.
Fernando Santos is likely to welcome back William Carvalho who returns after missing the Semi’s through suspension. All eyes will be on Real Madrid star Pepe who will need to prove his fitness to start against France.
Portuguese Top Scorer
- Cristiano Ronaldo – 1.57 (Skybet)
- Nani – 2.75 (Paddypower)
- Ricardo Quaresma – 81.00 (Skybet)
- Renato Sanches – 101.00 (Skybet)
Nani just won’t go away, would he? Cristiano Ronaldo was our pick to finish as Portugal’s top scorer and with three goals till now he has backed us up. However Nani who has been a winger for the majority of his career has thrived in his new forward role and has himself grabbed three goals thus far. While i’m still with Ronaldo i won’t be surprised at this point if Nani gets a goal and finishes as the their top scorer.
Euro 2016 Player of the Tournament Bet
- Antoine Griezmann – 1.53 (Paddypower)
- Cristiano Ronaldo – 5.00 (Betvictor)
- Eden Hazard – 6.00 (Betvictor)
- Gareth Bale – 7.00 (Betvictor)
- Aaron Ramsey – 34.00 (Betvictor)
- Laurent Koscielny – 67.00 (Bet 365)
The top 4 names listed above are the bookies favorites while the bottom two are our picks. We have to make a case for Aaron Ramsey who was so influential to Wales’ journey to the semifinals. He has four assists and a goal to his name and if it were to us he’ll be player of the tournament. Laurent Koscielny is another of Euro 2016’s underrated stars protecting the French goal and even providing the attacking threat from set-pieces.
However they tend to give it up players with the better stats so unless Ronaldo does something special against France. It will be Griezmann with 6 goals and 2 assists who’ll be the player of the tournament.
France vs Portugal – Past Meeting
The last time these two teams met was in a Friendly on September 2015. France won the game 1-0 thanks to a late 2nd half goal from Lyon midfielder Mathieu Valbuena.
Final Verdict
Euro 2016 was widely criticized for expanding to 24 teams in the tournament finals. However all those pre-tournament critiques have been proven wrong as it has been a truly entertaining tournament to follow. France vs Portugal sees two deserved teams fighting it out to be the next European Champions. France would badly want to win not only in a footballing sense, but also because after the recent the terrorist attacks the country has endured the nation needs something to rejoice about.
As for Portugal it’s their chance for redemption 12 years on from the Euro 2004 Final’s defeat against Greece. It should be great match but don’t expect it to be a entertainer with lot of goals. France’s best chance will be to finish this game in normal but Portugal will grind it out and may come out victorious in extra time or via Penalty shootout.