Portugal vs France. European Championships Final.
Stade De FranceAttendance75,868.
Sunday 10 July 2016 20:01, UK
France take on Portugal in the Euro 2016 final on Sunday night aiming to win a European Championship on home soil for the second time.
Didier Deschamps' side have the chance to match the triumph of Euro 1984, when Michel Platini scored a tournament record nine goals on route to lifting the trophy.
They face a Portuguese side looking to win their first major tournament, having lost 1-0 to Greece in their only other appearance in a European Championship final, in 2004.
Portugal have lost their last 10 games against France, who in Antoine Griezmann boast the competition's top scorer with six goals, but midfielder Joao Mario believes they can spring a surprise at the Stade de France.
"France are playing at home but they haven't shown their spectacular football," he said at a pre-match press conference. "We know we always lose to them but this will motivate us.
"The French media are sure of the win (for France.) We have lost a final already but this time we can make it. Probability counts for nothing and all the Portuguese bet on us.
"There is nothing like playing in a competition like this for our country."
Team news
Portugal's Pepe has been passed fit to play on Sunday after returning to full training.
The Real Madrid defender missed Wednesday's semi-final win over Wales with a thigh injury and had been considered a doubt ahead of the Paris showpiece against the hosts.
William Carvalho is expected to return to the starting line-up after missing the semi-final through suspension.
France have no fresh injury concerns or suspensions. The host nation named an unchanged team in consecutive games for the first time in their European Championship history in the semi-final, and Deschamps could name the same XI again on Sunday.
Opta stats
This will be the fourth meeting between Portugal and France in a major tournament. The French have won the previous three, all in semi-finals (Euro1984, Euro 2000, World Cup 2006).
Portugal have played the most games (34) in the history of the European Championships without ever winning the tournament.
Before Portugal, the only previous cases of third-placed teams in the group stages reaching the final of a major tournament (World Cup and Euro) was Argentina in the 1990 World Cup and Italy in the same tournament four years later. Neither lifted the trophy.
Portugal are unbeaten in their 13 competitive fixtures under Fernando Santos (winning nine and drawing four). Eight of those nine wins were decided by a single goal.
In major tournaments, Portugal have only lost one of their last 13 games, that was against Germany in the group stages of the 2014 World Cup.
Portugal have conceded only one goal in their last five knockout games at the European Championships, it was against Poland in this year's quarter-finals.
This will be France's fifth major tournament final. They have won three of their previous four (Euro 1984 and 2000, World Cup 1998), losing their most recent (World Cup 2006).
France are unbeaten in their last 18 major tournament games played on home soil, winning 16 and drawing two.
Only Germany and Spain (three) have won more European Championships than France (two).
France are the top scorers at euro 2016 with 13 goals in six games. They had not netted that many in a major tournament since Euro 2000 (13).
Portugal have won three of their four penalty shoot-outs at major tournaments (75 per cent). Among European nations to have taken part in at least four shoot-outs, only Germany boast a better ratio (86 per cent).
Meanwhile, France have a 50 per cent success rate in penalty shoot-outs, having won three of the six they have taken part in.
Cristiano Ronaldo has played in more games than any other player at the European Championships (20). None of his three goals and two assists at Euro 2016 have come outside the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
Ronaldo has now equalled Platini's record of nine goals in the European Championships. He has never scored against France (234 minutes of play).
Griezmann has scored/assisted more goals than any other player at EURO 2016 (6 goals, 2 assists). He has the opportunity to become the third French player to finish as sole top scorer at a major tournament after Just Fontaine (World Cup 1958) and Platini (1984).
Deschamps could become the second person to win the European Championships as a player and as a manager after Berti Vogts (unused sub in 1972, winning manager in 1996). Deschamps was the winning captain for France at World Cup 1998 and Euro 2000.
Merson's prediction
This is a difficult game to predict! It will be a very tight game and I can see it going all the way in Paris.
It's the first time in the whole tournament that a team will have a go at Portugal. So far, nearly all the teams they've played have sat back - even Croatia didn't really had a go at them.
France, backed by the crowd at the Stade de France, will be obliged to attack Fernando Santos' side and that could leave space for Cristiano Ronaldo and Co.
And with the trophy being on the line that will add pressure to the occasion for both sides so that's why I don't think this game is a forgone conclusion.
In finals, you need your big players to perform so Portugal will be looking at Ronaldo and France will be hoping for even more from their man of the moment, Antoine Griezmann.
I backed France before the tournament but I just don't see this match being a straight forward for them as everyone thinks. It could be a long night in Paris with Portugal eventually edging it on penalties.
PAUL PREDICTS: Portugal 1-1 France in 90 minutes (10/1 with Sky Bet) - Portugal to win on penalties (9/1 with Sky Bet).
Betting
France are Sky Bet's 11/10 favourites for the victory in 90 minutes, with Portugal 100/30 outsiders while the draw and extra-time is a 2/1 chance.
Ronaldo and Griezmann share favouritism in the first goalscorer betting at 4/1 apiece, with the strike duo are 7/1 to both find the net. Griezmann also heads the UEFA Man of the Match market at 9/2 followed by 5/1 chance Ronaldo.
The Soccer Saturday pundits have made their Sky Bet predictions, including Matt Le Tissier's 55/1 fancy for Olivier Giroud to score first in a 3-0 France win.
