Portugal and France will stage a rematch of the Euro 2016 final. The "European Brazilians" unexpectedly defeated the tournament's main favorite on their home turf back then.

The match's hero was goalkeeper Rui Patricio, but in 2024, Portugal had an equally reliable man between the posts. Diogo Costa saved his team one-on-one in the Round of 16 and became the first goalkeeper in Euro history not to concede during a penalty shootout. Will the keeper manage to carry his team through this time?

Didier Deschamps' pragmatic football dulls France's matches but prevents their opponents from showcasing their strengths. Portugal spends a lot of time on the ball (first in possession with 65.2%). Still, they have severe issues with variability in the final phase due to Cristiano Ronaldo's presence and the necessity to play for him. Such a predictable opponent should be easily read by France, who can exploit a defensive mistake in their style.

Don't underestimate the factor of physical readiness. Both teams played their Round of 16 matches on the same day, but the "Les Bleus" played against Belgium three hours earlier and avoided the unpleasant bonus of an extra 30 minutes; meanwhile, Portugal played all 120 minutes against Slovenia, followed by a penalty shootout. This aspect definitely goes in favor of France.

It's also worth noting that Portugal hasn't faced any top teams in the last year and a half. Their most high-profile opponent in this period was Croatia in a June friendly, and notably, the "Checkered Ones" won that match. Considering all these factors, we pick France with a (0) handicap.

However, we do not expect entertaining and sparkling football from either team. In their last two games, Portugal's monotonous attacks have been handled by less qualified opponents — not a single goal against Georgia and Slovenia. As for the French, they haven't played a single bright match at Euro 2024, having played four low-scoring games. A logical choice for this match is under 2.5 goals.