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In a key clash in the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League, France travel to Lisbon to take on reigning champions Portugal.
Portugal and France have ten points apiece in Group 3 in League A of the competition, which means that both teams can still qualify for next year’s Nations League finals. In that respect, the Saturday game between the two heavyweights is likely to be highly competitive, as it could likely decide the group winner.
Both sides have a few key players unavailable for the game; nevertheless, there may not be a dearth of enticing player-duels on the field. On that note, let us have a look at five players to watch out for when Portugal take on France.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
In any game involving Portugal, the man to watch is usually Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite being 35 years old now, the Juventus forward has shown no signs of slowing down. This week, he was on the scoresheet in Portugal’s 7-0 thrashing of Andorra.
His goal in that game was his 102nd in Portugal colours. Incredibly, Ronaldo is now only seven goals behind Ali Daei, who has scored the most goals in international football.
Daei's record certainly seems achievable for Ronaldo, and there would be very few to bet against the latter moving closer to the Iranian's record tally on Saturday.
Admittedly, France certainly would not be easy opponents for the Portugal captain to find the net against. They’ve got a solid defence and held Portugal to a stalemate when the two teams last faced off in October. The likes of Raphael Varane and Clement Lenglet could relish the chance to keep the great CR7 quiet.
However, Ronaldo has been in tremendous form of late. He has scored seven goals in his last six appearances for Juventus. That could make it a tough proposition for Didier Deschamps’ men to prevent Ronaldo from scoring again this weekend.
#2 Paul Pogba (France)
Arguably France’s biggest star in terms of reputation and pedigree on the world stage, Paul Pogba has largely struggled during the 2020-21 campaign. He has been in terrible form for Manchester United, finding himself left out of the club's starting-XI in last weekend's Premier League game against Everton.
In France's disappointing 0-2 friendly loss to Finland on Wednesday, the Frenchman was hooked after 57 minutes and replaced by Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante.
However, it appears that France boss Didier Deschamps is still a believer in Pogba’s abilities. In an interview this week, Deschamps stated that the midfielder 'can’t be happy with his situation' at Old Trafford, and admitted that he 'needs to find his rhythm'.
Pogba fans would probably suggest that the midfielder is a big-game player. If that is indeed the case, France need him at his best this weekend.
The player has got quite the task ahead of him as he will be up against a midfield that will probably include clubmate Bruno Fernandes. If Pogba is able to rediscover his rhythm, he could definitely have a positive effect in Lisbon.
Either way, Pogba is definitely a player to watch in this game. If he has another difficult 90 minutes, it’d be hard to imagine him rising back to prominence this season, but a good showing could turn his 2020-21 season around.
#3 Bruno Fernandes (Portugal)
Unlike his clubmate and opponent this weekend, Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes has enjoyed an excellent start to the 2020-21 campaign with Manchester United. The playmaker, who has largely risen above United’s general struggles. has registered seven goals and four assists in all competitions.
Fernandes has also grown into a key man for Portugal, as he’s featured in all of their UEFA Nations League games thus far in the current campaign. He picked up an assist in Portugal's impressive 4-1 win over Croatia in September and also starred in his side’s two wins over Sweden.
Interestingly, while the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Moutinho were given minutes in this week’s friendly win over Andorra, the Manchester United man was rested, though. That suggests that boss Fernando Santos expects Fernandes to play a key role in the game against France.
Fernandes will have to be at his best to make an impact against the world champions, as he’s likely to face off with not only Pogba but the likes of N’Golo Kante and Raphael Varane too. However, if he is able to carve open France’s defence, it’s likely that Cristiano Ronaldo could be on hand to finish any chances.
Essentially, this game – against the reigning world champions – is just the kind of match that Fernandes needs right now to prove his standing on the world stage.
#4 Antoine Griezmann (France)
With France’s star forward Kylian Mbappe carrying an injury and his call-up to the team's squad being called into question by PSG boss Thomas Tuchel, Mbappe's involvement against Portugal is likely to be up in the air.
It means that Les Bleus will have to look elsewhere for goals, with the most likely source in this regard possibly being embattled Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann.
Griezmann hasn’t been in the best of form for his club in 2020-21, although he did pick up a goal and an assist in Barcelona's recent 5-2 win over Real Betis. Nevertheless, the striker was excellent for France during October’s international break.
It was Griezmann who opened the scoring in France's 2-1 win over Croatia as he excelled in a somewhat new role sitting just off a front duo of Mbappe and Anthony Martial. In fact, the Barcelona man was named the Man of the Match by WhoScored.com.
Portugal’s defence was able to keep France quiet in the goalless draw between the two teams last month. But in all fairness, Portugal's backline isn’t their strongest area, which means Griezmann will be confident of breaking through in this game and possibly make a telling contribution for Les Bleus.
#5 Hugo Lloris (France)
With Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and William Carvalho amongst their ranks, Portugal have one of the most dangerous attacking units in international football right now.
Considering the wide array of attacking resources at his disposal, Fernando Santos could hope to see his side create plenty of chances. If that be the case, France’s defence will have to be at their best to keep Portugal out in the latter's backyard.
In that regard, France’s captain and goalkeeper,Hugo Lloris could be a key man for Les Bleus this weekend. A veteran with over 100 international caps to his name, Lloris remains one of Europe’s best keepers, who has been in fabulous form this season.
The Tottenham Hotspur captain and #1 has been pivotal in Jose Mourinho’s side that has conceded only nine goals in the Premier League this season, giving Spurs the joint-tightest defence in the competition in 2020-21.
Hugo Lloris has also been in excellent form for France, making three key saves in Les Bleus' goalless draw against Portugal in October. He also kept out Croatia’s dangerous strike force in France's next international game.
For France to win against Portugal, they'll need to keep things tight at the back. Going by the October game between the two sides, goals could be at a premium in this one too. That would mean that Hugo Lloris will have to be at his absolute best; considering his recent form for Tottenham Hotspur, he probably will.
