Portugal and France will face off for a place in the semifinals. Both sides have struggled to score goals so far in this tournament, leaving both in search of victory on penalties.
Ronaldo begins for Selecao against Les Bleus, who needed penalties to overcome a tenacious Slovenian team in their last-16 clash. Ronaldo saw one spot-kick saved but managed to score the match winner.
In this article, we will discuss the main points of Portugal National Football Team vs France National Football Team Lineups.
Here’s a table comparing the all-time best players from the Portugal National Football Team and the France National Football Team:
| Position | Portugal (All-Time Players) | France (All-Time Players) |
|---|---|---|
| GK | Vítor Baía | Fabien Barthez |
| RB | João Cancelo | Lilian Thuram |
| CB | Pepe | Marcel Desailly |
| CB | Ricardo Carvalho | Laurent Blanc |
| LB | Fabio Coentrão | Bixente Lizarazu |
| CM | Deco | Zinedine Zidane |
| CM | Rui Costa | Patrick Vieira |
| RW | Luís Figo | Franck Ribéry |
| LW | Cristiano Ronaldo | Michel Platini |
| ST | Eusébio | Thierry Henry |
| ST | Pauleta | Kylian Mbappé |
| Coach | Fernando Santos | Didier Deschamps |
Would you like any modifications or additions to this list?
Portugal: Maignan
After an impressive victory against Slovenia, Portugal face France at the Volksparkstadion for an all-European quarter-final matchup. Portugal looked vulnerable against Belgium during their last-16 victory and will look to improve on that performance when taking on France in Hamburg.
Maignan has built his philosophy around five words: faith, discipline, work ethic, humility and patience – an approach which has proved successful during his nearly three year international career.
Young goalkeeper Hugo Lloris boasts great reflexes and excels at handling crosses. Furthermore, his excellent saves have been key moments in France’s success this tournament.
Arsenal youngster Jack Maignan has shown glimpses of his ability, yet is still learning how to finish confidently. Nonetheless, he could prove crucial over the course of this year as he hones his craft further; for instance he made a remarkable block against Rafael Leao’s goalbound effort and also saved against Mbappe when he slipped through on the left; additionally he deftly handled Kante’s low scuffed shot with ease.
Vitinha
Vitinha has been one of the many Jorge Mendes-backed players to give Paris Saint-Germain an extra edge this year and while not exactly filling Marco Verratti’s shoes stylistically, he has provided consistency within their squad that was otherwise lacking. Vitinha has had an impactful midfield role linking attack with defence; however, against France’s pressing threat this game he will need to focus more on defensive work than ever.
Last season in Ligue 1, he started 23 of 28 appearances, scoring seven goals and providing four assists while also averaging more than one tackle and interception per game, making him hard to break down. It is likely he will play at the base of Portugal midfield alongside Joao Palhinha as part of their double pivot for Euro 2024 hosts Portugal.
Leao
Cristiano Ronaldo and France are set to contest a crucial clash for semi-final qualification at Euro 2024 when they meet on Friday in Hamburg. Both sides possess impressive talent that could help secure one of the continent’s coveted continental prizes.
Portugal advanced to the quarter-final match following an intense 2-2 tie against Slovenia that ended on penalties. Despite their best efforts, Joao Felix and Diogo Jota struggled to produce goals during the latter part of the match; Joao Felix may even find his way into starting lineup despite impressive bench displays;
Roberto Martinez will likely select the same XI for this match; however, Adrien Rabiot is suspended following receiving two yellow cards in previous matches and must be replaced. Eduardo Camavinga and Randal Kolo Muani could provide cover in defensive midfield positions; alternatively he may opt for Real Madrid players Vitinha or Joao Palhinha to fill their place at centre midfield.
Kounde
Jules Olivier Kounde (French pronunciation: [Zyl olivje kounde]; born 12 November 1998) is a French professional footballer who currently plays as a right-back for La Liga club Barcelona and France national team. He made his national team debut against Hungary on 12 March 2024 during a friendly match.
Kounde has proven his defensive prowess during two starts this season for Barcelona FC, contributing to a clean sheet on Sunday while leading the defense with three tackles and creating one chance. Furthermore, he crossed twice inaccurately during these matches.
As for France, they have improved since their loss to Switzerland in the round of 16. Antoine Griezmann is back as their main center forward while Kylian Mbappe has shown some threat in attack. Kante, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga remain solid central midfielders who should provide ample support. But Didier Deschamps must make his side more clinical as the defending champions have scored just once in five matches including their 5-3 shootout win over North Korea – just once!
Fernandes
Fernandes hails from Portugal and was part of their youth teams at under-19 and under-20 levels, before making his senior debut for Portugal at under-23 level in 2017 which earned him selection to the squads for UEFA Nations League, 2022 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2024 tournaments. Fernandes also holds former international status under-23 level.
At 18, he moved to Italy to join Novara for their Serie B campaign. There he met childhood sweetheart Ana Pinho and quickly learned the Italian language; later becoming multilingual speaking Portuguese, English, and Italian fluently.
France will be without Adrien Rabiot for this quarter-final match due to an accumulation of yellow cards, who is set to be replaced either by Eduardo Camavinga, Youssouf Fofana or Warren Zaire-Emery. Didier Deschamps will hope Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann can create big chances against Portugal’s superior defensive quality.
Ronaldo
Portugal and France will face off in one of the quarter-final’s biggest contests, featuring Kylian Mbappe as France captain. When these teams met last time at Euro 2016, Cristiano Ronaldo lifted his trophy, while Didier Deschamps’ men struggled against Belgium but somehow survived an own goal from Jan Vertonghen and eventually prevailed via penalties in a shootout win.
But both teams possess powerful offensive weapons, and this clash at Volksparkstadion should prove exciting. Cristiano Ronaldo will start for Selecao but may not make it all the way to the final four.
At 41 years old, Pepe will make history as the oldest player ever to represent a European Championships nation. Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann will lead Les Bleus’ attack with Kingsley Coman and N’Golo Kante providing support in midfield. France have won all six previous encounters against Portugal; winning five in succession.
Dembele
Portugal won their last 16 game against Slovenia after an intense shootout victory, so they will face France with one eye on an unlikely semi-final clash between the old rivals. Manager Roberto Martinez does not foresee any significant fitness concerns but it will all depend on Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe to bring home victory for Portugal.
Mbappe suffered a broken nose against Sweden but has recovered in time to lead France’s attack against their boyhood idols, yet not be the sole threat on display – Raphael Varane and Ousmane Dembele have shown flashes of brilliance recently as well.
France have one change due to Adrien Rabiot being suspended, so Eduardo Camavinga will start in central midfield alongside Kante and Aurelien Tchouameni. Les Bleus are still searching for their big chance, yet have made strides defensively as well as appearing more solid.
Camavinga
Camavinga suffered a hamstring injury last week against Chile and will miss this matchup for France. While Camavinga would provide vital depth, manager Didier Deschamps may prefer keeping with the 4-3-3 formation which has featured in their past two victories in order to accommodate Ousmane Dembele.
He has started five of the last six matches and could keep his place alongside Abdoulaye Doumbia and Soumaila Coulibaly in central defence. Unfortunately, Brest manager Eric Roy prefers Romain Faive over Luck Zogbe who could potentially take out that left-back spot.
William Carvalho, Ruben Neves and Bruno Fernandes would form an effective trio at the center of Portugal’s park attack. Joao Palhinha and Vitinha will provide additional reinforcement from their positions on the bench.