Portugal v France Euros preview: Group of Death going down to the wire

The Euros group stages are drawing to a close, with teams battling for the last few spots in the knockout rounds.

It’s all to play for in Group F, and with Portugal and France facing off on Wednesday it should be a European Championship classic.

All to play for in Group of Death

Ahead of the tournament’s start, Group F was given the nickname the ‘Group of Death’ and it’s certainly lived up to its billing so far. After two games, just three points separate top from bottom, meaning it’s all to play for going into Wednesday night.

France, the 13/10 favourites for Euro glory this summer, top the group yet will be disappointed they haven’t got more of a stranglehold on the pool so far. Having delivered a calm and controlled display to see off Germany in their opening game, they followed that up with a draw to Hungary – a result they will be disappointed in, but one that their opponents no doubt deserved.

Portugal, meanwhile, having defeated Hungary 3-0 in their opener – a result that flattered them given it took 84 minutes to break the deadlock – followed that up with a 4-2 loss to Germany. The European champions’ place in the knockout stages suddenly looks precarious.

Heading into Wednesday’s game then, it’s all to play for, meaning we’ll all set for a thriller.

It’s no surprise to see France edge the odds as favourites at 13/10 for victory, with Portugal priced at 13/5 for the win and the draw at 2/1. As for making into the knockout stages, Les Bleus are 1/500, with Portugal 1/12. Work out your potential winnings with our easy-to-use online betting calculator.

France and Mbappe to come alive?

While France remain the tournament favourites, they’ll need to deliver a performance here if they want to top the group. Although impressive enough against Germany, you could argue their tournament has really yet to get going, having netted just twice in two games with one of those being an own goal.

Kylian Mbappe, backed by many to light up this tournament, has shown flashes of his brilliance and will be desperate for a goal to kickstart his campaign. The PSG striker is available at the enhanced odds of 5/1 – boosted from 4/1 – to score first on Wednesday night. France to come alive and double their tally of goals for the tournament by scoring in both halves has been enhanced from 3/1 to 7/2.

Five goals in two games shows Portugal know how to find the back of the net, but key to them getting a result here will be ensuring they’re water-tight at the other end. Against Germany, they allowed themselves to be opened up far too easily a number of times. Both teams to score then looks appealing at 10/11.

Despite being 36 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. He has three goals and an assist from his first two games in the tournament – while he has gone on to become the all-time European Championship top scorer in this time – and he is 5/1 to break the deadlock against France, with the odds having been enhanced from 10/3.

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