Portugal to deliver crushing blow to Les Bleus
World and European heavyweights Portugal and France do battle in what will almost certainly prove to be the decisive encounter in their UEFA Nations League pool. Both sides are locked together on 10 points from their previous four games, and the hosts have a four-goal advantage. If Didier Deschamps' men fail to overcome their rivals, it will surely mean A Seleção will reach the final mini-tournament. Read our preview here:
Andorran stroll will yield more goals
The contrast in both confidence and prior performance heading into Saturday's crunch fixture couldn't be more pronounced. Although the quality of opposition differed greatly, Portugal could still rack up seven against neighbours Andorra with their second string on display. Meanwhile, upstarts Finland inflicted a shock defeat in Paris, deservedly beating the world champions 2-0. Doubtlessly, head coach Fernando Santos will restore all his key players to the first XI from the outset in a 4-3-3 shape not short of either pragmatism or endeavour. The individual and collective tactical flexibility is another not insignificant trump card in the home side's deck; as long as veteran centre-back Pepe maintains his discipline, he will have an erratic Anthony Martial shackled. At the opposite end, Cristiano Ronaldo and João Félix will swap positions to drag their markers out of position, creating space for a finely balanced midfield and expansive full-backs to exploit.
Pogback... on the bench?
Most notable in the loss to Finland, scoreline aside, were some of the truly insipid showings in blue and red. Chief amongst them was Paul Pogba, and his place in the midfield three behind Antoine Griezmann could be in serious jeopardy. The whole backline will be chopped and changed to combat their adversaries' movement, and in particular, it promises to be another stern examination of Presnel Kimpembe's credentials. Elsewhere, Olivier Giroud has been a bit-part player for Chelsea in 2020/2021, but will always much more than a simple aerial threat when he is on the field. Martial must conjure up far more consistency if he is to keep his place in the long run, and there could scarcely be a better time to start on that journey outside of a major tournament. Danilo Pereira could drop back if a frustrated France resort to finding Giroud from deep, and put a strangehold on the game. To prevent that, the visitors must bring the impetus in the early stages, and moreover, a breakthrough.
No meek surrender
Whilst some might scoff at the Nations League, it has given countries more 'meaningful' matches to play and experiment with. Either side losing in Lisbon on Saturday won't be a disaster; their passage to next year's delayed Euro 2021 was sealed many months ago. However, every disappointing result affects the coefficient (and subsequently, draws for future qualifying). France will battle hard to ensure they still have a chance going into next week's final round of matches, but Betfair are offering generous odds of 2.40 for a home win of any kind.
