France – Portugal: a major absentee and yet another new system ?

Qualified without sparkle in front of you Belgium, the French team will have to raise its level a notch against Portugal in a quarter-final which promises to be tense.

Matches between France and Portugal always have a special flavor, even more so when they take place as part of a major competition. The one who profiles, this Friday à 9 p.m. on the west side of Hamburg, should not deviate from this the rule and will open the doors to the semi-finals of Euro 2024 to the winner. A tension which the Tricolores hope to feed off to finally enter their tournament and deploy everything their potential.

A gloomy attack

Indeed, having arrived as favourites, Kylian Mbappé and his teammates have not given full satisfaction since the start of the German campaign. Particularly in the offensive sector where the attackers have given the impression of searching for themselves. Of course, there were 20 shots attempted against Belgium in the round of 16, showing a desire to move forward, but of this total, only two found the target. It took a stroke of luck and an own goal from Jan Vertonghen on a missed shot by Randal Kolo Muani to win.

This lucky goal is already the 2nd after the one against Austria, France holding the record in this area with 5 own goals from the opponent to their credit in the history of the Euro. In addition, the third and last goal scored on German turf was the work of captain Mbappéé…on penalty.

The lack of achievement in the game and the glaring lack of realism of the Blues is a source of questions more than concerns. Indeed, internally, everyone seems confident in the ability to do so. of the Tricolores à to mark. The potential is there; and Didier Deschamps should not upset his animation since Mbappé is assured to be there from the kick-off like Marcus Thuram. The unknown remains who will accompany them. The positioning of Antoine Griezmann & right against the Red Devils was not; very conclusive and it could be brought to light à going down a notch, also a return from Ousmane Dembélé is not available éhousingà unless Deschamps gives his chance à Kolo Muani, deserving on his entries. However, it will take energy and determination to deceive a high-level Diogo Costa, galvanizedé by his immaculate penalty shootout against Slovenia

Another extension?

Beyondà of the tricolor offensive expression, Didier Deschamps will have to resolve the problem posed by by the absence of Adrien Rabiot, suspended. Several options are available to you. him. The first would be to reposition Griezmann at the heart of the game with & his sides Adrien Tchouaméni and N'Golo Kanté. A role that could suit him condition of remaining close to the attackers and leaving the work of harassment and recovery to Madrileña and elsewhere. the former Leicester player. The other alternative would be to replace the Turinese with Youssouf Fofana or Eduardo Camavinga in order to maintain the defensive base which carried the team. the Blues until the quarter-finals.

This defensive block will once again be the key; of French success because of its solidity will depend on everything else. Didier Deschamps knows it, titles are not won in front but behind. With a Williams Saliba who finally flourishes and brings his serenity, a Jules Koundé which is gaining strength, the Tricolores impress in this sector of play. The proof, only Robert Lewandowski managed to achieve this goal. score a goal for the Blues in their last 6 matches, and it was on a penalty, taken by the Blues. &agrav; two times. Waterproofing which will be put à the test by Cristiano Ronaldo, whose last Euro, and his partners, appeared less dashing during their last two meetings.

One thing is certain, the tension will be maximum at Hamburg between two nations which have become accustomed to engaging in fierce duels. Thus all matches à direct elimination between them the Euro have decided after extension. In 1984, Jean-François Domergue signedé a double and Michel Platini had delivered the French in the semi-finals (3-2, a.p.), Zinédine Zidane imitating from the penalty spot in 2000 at the same stage of the competition; tion (2-1 a.p.). In 2016, luck had changed; camp since Eder had moved as a Portuguese hero to offer the first international title to his country…in France (1-0, a.p.). Enough to imagine a suffocating and breathtaking scenario which the Blues hope to once again survive.

What composition ?

According to the latest leaks, notably from L'Equipe, Didier Deschamps should renew his 4-3-3 victorious over Belgium (1-0 ) in the round of 16. Thus the team would remain unchanged with only Eduardo Camavinga taking the place of the suspended Adrien Rabiot. Antoine Griezmann should be kept on one side. But another possibility is presents himself in front of the Blues. The second probable composition would be a 4-2-3-1. The latter would put Antoine Griezmann back at the heart of the game, behind Marcus Thuram, with Ousmane Dembélé &agrav; right and Kylian Mbapp&eac; &agrav; LEFT. N'Golo Kanté and Aurélien Tchouaméni would occupy a defensive midfield role. The most probable composition of the Blues : Maignan – Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Theo Hernandez – Tchouaméni, Kanté, Camavinga – Griezmann, Thuram, Mbappé.