Dugout Discussion – France vs Portugal

Euro 2016 comes to its conclusion this evening as France take on Portugal in Paris.

The hosts are firm favourites to triumph after seeing off Germany 2-0 in the semi-finals on Thursday evening. Didier Deschamps’ side have scored at least twice in five of their six matches over the tournament – indeed, a goalless draw against Switzerland in their final group fixture was the only occasion that Les Bleus have failed to chalk up a victory.

Portugal’s road to the final has been less convincing. Fernando Santos’ side didn’t win any of their first five fixtures in normal time before defeating Wales 2-0 over 90 minutes.

Delving into the data, the two nations boast very similar threats in the final third. In terms of minutes per attempt over the tournament, France just edge it by 5.3 to Portugal’s 5.5, whilst they also have the slimmest of leads for shots on target (36 to 34).

The home side have been far more clinical. Deschamps’ troops have netted 12.3% of their opportunities compared to their opponents’ 7.1%, which equates to 13 goals to eight.

At the back, the pair have served up three clean sheets apiece, with France’s defence slightly more resilient, having conceded four times to Portugal’s five. Given that they are also near-identical for shots inside the box conceded (33 to 31), though, tonight’s clash may not be quite as one-sided as many anticipate.