Portugal vs France - 5 players to watch out for | UEFA Nations League 2020-21

#3 Bruno Fernandes (Portugal)

Bruno Fernandes will want to make an impact on the international stage against France.

Unlike his clubmate and opponent this weekend, Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes has enjoyed an excellent start to the 2020-21 campaign with Manchester United. The playmaker, who has largely risen above United’s general struggles. has registered seven goals and four assists in all competitions.

Fernandes has also grown into a key man for Portugal, as he’s featured in all of their UEFA Nations League games thus far in the current campaign. He picked up an assist in Portugal's impressive 4-1 win over Croatia in September and also starred in his side’s two wins over Sweden.

Interestingly, while the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Moutinho were given minutes in this week’s friendly win over Andorra, the Manchester United man was rested, though. That suggests that boss Fernando Santos expects Fernandes to play a key role in the game against France.

Cristiano Ronaldo reaches 100 wins with Portugal 💯🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/9YFSje3GZg

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 11, 2020

Fernandes will have to be at his best to make an impact against the world champions, as he’s likely to face off with not only Pogba but the likes of N’Golo Kante and Raphael Varane too. However, if he is able to carve open France’s defence, it’s likely that Cristiano Ronaldo could be on hand to finish any chances.

Essentially, this game – against the reigning world champions – is just the kind of match that Fernandes needs right now to prove his standing on the world stage.

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#4 Antoine Griezmann (France)

Antoine Griezmann might be France's best hope for goals against Portugal.

With France’s star forward Kylian Mbappe carrying an injury and his call-up to the team's squad being called into question by PSG boss Thomas Tuchel, Mbappe's involvement against Portugal is likely to be up in the air.

It means that Les Bleus will have to look elsewhere for goals, with the most likely source in this regard possibly being embattled Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann.

Griezmann hasn’t been in the best of form for his club in 2020-21, although he did pick up a goal and an assist in Barcelona's recent 5-2 win over Real Betis. Nevertheless, the striker was excellent for France during October’s international break.

It was Griezmann who opened the scoring in France's 2-1 win over Croatia as he excelled in a somewhat new role sitting just off a front duo of Mbappe and Anthony Martial. In fact, the Barcelona man was named the Man of the Match by WhoScored.com.

Portugal’s defence was able to keep France quiet in the goalless draw between the two teams last month. But in all fairness, Portugal's backline isn’t their strongest area, which means Griezmann will be confident of breaking through in this game and possibly make a telling contribution for Les Bleus.

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#5 Hugo Lloris (France)

Hugo Lloris will need to be at his best to keep out the likes of Ronaldo and Fernandes.

With Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and William Carvalho amongst their ranks, Portugal have one of the most dangerous attacking units in international football right now.

Considering the wide array of attacking resources at his disposal, Fernando Santos could hope to see his side create plenty of chances. If that be the case, France’s defence will have to be at their best to keep Portugal out in the latter's backyard.

In that regard, France’s captain and goalkeeper,Hugo Lloris could be a key man for Les Bleus this weekend. A veteran with over 100 international caps to his name, Lloris remains one of Europe’s best keepers, who has been in fabulous form this season.

The Tottenham Hotspur captain and #1 has been pivotal in Jose Mourinho’s side that has conceded only nine goals in the Premier League this season, giving Spurs the joint-tightest defence in the competition in 2020-21.

Hugo Lloris has also been in excellent form for France, making three key saves in Les Bleus' goalless draw against Portugal in October. He also kept out Croatia’s dangerous strike force in France's next international game.

For France to win against Portugal, they'll need to keep things tight at the back. Going by the October game between the two sides, goals could be at a premium in this one too. That would mean that Hugo Lloris will have to be at his absolute best; considering his recent form for Tottenham Hotspur, he probably will.