Despite heading into the tie as the bookies’ favourites, Kylian Mbappe is well aware of the mammoth task that awaits France when they lock horns with Portugal this evening.
The two teams will be undergoing their final preparations in Hamburg ahead of tonight’s 8pm kick-off at the Volksparkstadion.
Manchester United have two representatives who could feature in the clash: Bruno Fernandes, who is likely to start and play the majority of the quarter-final, and Diogo Dalot, who has been an unused substitute for two of Portugal’s four matches played.
Remarkably, France are yet to score from open play at the tournament. Their only contribution from a Frenchman came from the penalty spot courtesy of Mbappe in a 1-1 draw with Poland on June 25.
Jan Vertonghen was left red-faced after his 85th-minute own-goal saw Belgium exit the tournament to Didier Deschamps’ side following a 1-0 defeat on Monday, while Portugal were made to work for their spot in the last-eight; they were taken to penalties by a spirited, well-drilled Slovenian side.
With Slovenia unable to convert any of their spot-kicks, the Portuguese advanced thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernandes and Bernardo Silva.
Frequently United’s talisman, Fernandes will be looking to return to his best against France and replicate a performance similar to his scintillating showing in the FA Cup final.
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