Portugal vs France Nations League preview: where to watch, team news

Portugal face France in UEFA Nations League Group A3 in Lisbon on Saturday 14 November at 20:45 CET.

Where to watch the game on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Nations League broadcast partner(s) here

As they stand

• Portugal stand unbeaten at the top of Group A3, and lead France by virtue of superior goal difference; +8 compared to Les Bleus' +4. The holders are unbeaten in six competitive games (W5 D1). Both of their most recent games at the Estádio do SL Benfica ended in draws. If they win, they will win the group.

• France lost 2-0 at home to Finland in a friendly game on Wednesday, but are on an 12-game unbeaten run (W10 D2) in competitive games. They won their only previous game at the Estádio do SL Benfica: 2-1 win against England at UEFA EURO 2004. If they win, they will win the group.

Previous meetings

• The world champions held the European champions to a 0-0 draw when the sides met in Saint-Denis on Matchday 3. France have had the better of the teams' competitive meetings (W3 D1 L1), but that lone defeat was a painful one: 1-0 after extra time at the Stade de France in the UEFA EURO 2016 final.

• Including friendlies, France have won their last five away games against Portugal, a run that began with a 4-2 success in 1947. Most recently, they won 1-0 at Lisbon's Estádio José Alvalade in 2015, Mathieu Valbuena scoring the only goal.

What the coaches say

Fernando Santos, Portugal coach: "Both sides have great players and there’s always a risk of a counterattack if you lose possession. So it’s about being organised and maintaining concentration, but we are confident. Compared to our previous meeting, I expect a different style of play, and I think maybe they will try a more mobile trident of [Kylian] Mbappé, [Anthony] Martial and [Antoine] Griezmann, so with Martial instead of [Olivier] Giroud."

Didier Deschamps, France coach: "Will some injured players return against Portugal? Yes, I hope so. But who, how, I don't know yet. Benjamin Pavard and Kylian Mbappé? They are improving every day. There are three days until the game, but I don't know if that will be enough. We know Portugal. It's different to [Wednesday's 2-0 friendly loss to Finland]. When we play every three days, we don't have time to dwell on past games."

Next up

17/11: Croatia vs Portugal
17/11: France vs Sweden