Host nation France will look to create history on home soil when they take on Portugal in the final of Euro 2016 on Sunday.

Les Bleus are on the brink of an unprecedented second European Championships success in their own country, while Portugal are bidding for their first major international trophy.

Portugal

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Down the years, the likes of Spain and Netherlands have been burdened with the unwanted tag of international football's nearly-men, but when it comes to the European Championships, Portugal can certainly lay a strong claim to that crown.

The Selecao have reached the semi-final of the competition in four of the last five editions, and have reached the last four of a major tournament seven times overall, but this is just the second time that they have made it all the way to a final, and the first on foreign soil.

Portugal will be hoping for better memories than their last appearance on such a stage, when they were stunned at home by surprise champions Greece at Euro 2004.

This time, they will be looking to spoil the hosts' party themselves, and while it has been an unorthodox and, at times, uninspiring route to the final, they have so far got the job done.

Fernando Santos's side were drawn in arguably the easiest group in the competition alongside Hungary, Iceland and Austria, yet they failed to win a single one of their three matches and only scraped through by the skin of their teeth as one of the best third-placed sides.

Indeed, it took until the semi-final for Portugal to actually win a game in normal time, with Ricardo Quaresma's 117th-minute winner seeing them past Croatia after extra time before a faultless penalty shootout showing knocked out Poland in the quarters.

Tournament underdogs Wales awaited them in the semi-final, and once again Portugal failed to dazzle in getting past their opponents, relying on two goals inside three minutes at the start of the second half to end the dreams of Chris Coleman's side.

Cristiano Ronaldo stole the headlines with a goal and an assist, but even though the Real Madrid man has directly contributed to six goals - more than anyone bar Sunday's opponent Antoine Griezmann - he has failed to quite hit the heights expected of him at the tournament.

The 31-year-old's towering header against Wales was a timely reminder of what he is capable of, though, and with an international trophy the one gaping hole left in his honours list, Sunday provides the chance for him to well and truly establish himself among the best to have ever played the game, and perhaps even nudge himself in front of perennial rival Lionel Messi.

There is no doubt that he is already a giant of the game, particularly when it comes to the European Championships. He is already the first player to score in four separate editions of the tournament, and against Wales he became the first player to appear in three semi-finals, not to mention only the third man to score in two separate last-four clashes.

Ronaldo's tally of 20 matches in the competition is yet another record, and a goal in the final would see him move out on his own as the tournament's greatest ever goalscorer after he levelled Michel Platini's mark of nine in the semi-final.

While Santos has insisted throughout the tournament that they are more than a one-man team, there is no doubt that Ronaldo is the star of the show, and should he be on top form in Saint-Denis then it could well prove to be the difference.

Portugal remain a tough team to predict, though. Since the World Cup they have beaten the likes of Argentina, Italy and Belgium, yet lost to Cape Verde Islands, Bulgaria and Albania.

Santos does, however, remain unbeaten in his 13 competitive fixtures in charge of the team, winning nine of those, although the semi-final victory over Wales was the first time that they have triumphed by more than one goal.

There is plenty for Portugal to overcome this weekend; not only do they have a whole nation against them and a dreadful record against France, but they must also finally shed that tag of nearly-men having played more European Championship games than any other side without winning the trophy (34).

If they can pull it off, though, then it will go down as the greatest moment in the country's footballing history and Ronaldo in particular will seal his place in the pantheon of greats.

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France

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While many teams may shrink under the pressure of such expectancy and hope as a host nation, France continually thrive.

Sunday will give them the chance to win a third tournament on home soil after Euro 1984 and the 1998 World Cup, and they will enter the match as red-hot favourites to do just that.

The likes of Platini and Zinedine Zidane have been the talismans of their past successes, but there is no shortage of players pushing to become the nation's golden boy this summer.

Dimitri Payet was invaluable in the group stages, kicking things off with a stunning late winner against Romania before he and Griezmann added two more late goals to prevent them being held to a goalless draw by Albania.

Paul Pogba is another to have played an important role in the run to the final, while even Olivier Giroud - jeered by club and country fans alike at stages of the 2015-16 campaign - has come good with three goals and two assists.

It is the man at the top of the Golden Boot race that looks most likely to draw the adoration of fans should they lift the trophy on Sunday, though, with Griezmann putting aside his Champions League final disappointment to play the starring role this summer.

A brace in the semi-final saw the hosts past world champions Germany despite giving up the vast majority of possession and also took his tally to six for the tournament - a mark only Platini can beat in a single Euro finals. Indeed, he looks set to join an exclusive club alongside Platini and Just Fontaine as French players to end a tournament as top scorer.

Overall he has directly contributed to eight of France's tournament-high tally of 13 goals this summer, and Sunday's match could well come down to whether he is able to outperform Ronaldo.

In terms of the two teams, there is no doubt that France go into the match in the better form. They are unbeaten in their last 10 outings, while their only loss in the last 16 came against England at Wembley in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks.

Fourteen of those have resulted in victories, while on home soil they have won 11 and lost none of their last 12 games, with the only exception being the goalless draw with Switzerland in their final group game, when qualification for the knockout rounds was already assured.

That record is even better in major tournaments, with France not having lost any of their last 18 World Cup or European Championship games on home soil since defeat to Czechoslovakia at the inaugural Euros in 1960.

Only three teams have ever won the Euros on home soil before, with France's Platini-inspired class of 1984 the most recent to do so, and Les Bleus would create another slice of history with victory on Sunday as they look to become the first nation to achieve that feat twice.

There is also history in the offing for boss Didier Deschamps, who could become the first man to both captain and manage a European Championships-winning side having lifted the trophy himself in 2000. The only other person to win it as a player and coach was Berti Vogts, who was an unused sub in 1972 before steering Germany to the title in 1996.

This will be the third major international final that Deschamps has been involved in, and of the four previous ones in France's history they have come out on top three times - although their most recent final ended in penalty shootout heartbreak against Italy 10 years ago.

The hosts will be hoping that Sunday's match doesn't go that far, and the players themselves will know that victory will write their names into French football folklore.

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Team News

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The big question mark for Portugal remains over the fitness of Pepe, who missed the semi-final against Wales with a thigh injury.

Manager Santos has already insisted that he will not choose the Real Madrid centre-back unless he is 100% fit, and having trained alone on Friday he faces a race to be ready in time.

Bruno Alves is expected to continue if Pepe doesn't prove his fitness, but there could be one change for Portugal with William Carvalho available once again following suspension.

Danilo Pereira was the man to fill the void in the semi-final, but Carvalho is expected to return in defensive midfield.

Deschamps has chopped and changed with his formation throughout the tournament, and with a fully-fit squad to choose from he must once again decide whether to stick or twist on Sunday.

Samuel Umtiti and Moussa Sissoko did enough to keep their places in the semi-final as France named an unchanged side for the first time in their Euros history, and the duo's performances against Germany should be enough to keep Adil Rami and N'Golo Kante on the bench once again.

Portugal possible starting lineup:
Rui Patricio; Cedric, Fonte, Pepe, Guerreiro; Sanches, Carvalho, Joao Mario, Adrien Silva; Ronaldo, Nani

France possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Sagna, Umtiti, Koscielny, Evra; Pogba, Matuidi, Sissoko, Griezmann, Payet; Giroud

Head To Head

The head-to-head record between these two sides does not make good reading for Portugal, who have lost each of the last 10 meetings in a run that stretches back more than 40 years.

This will be their fourth meeting in a major tournament, and France have won each of the previous three, all in semi-finals, the most memorable of which came at Euro 1984 on French soil.

The most recent clash between the two sides came in September last year, when Mathieu Valbuena scored the only goal of the game with just five minutes remaining in Lisbon.

We say: Portugal 0-2 France

Portugal have rather fortuitously got themselves to the final of this competition whereas France, while not firing on all cylinders throughout, have been one of the most exciting teams at the tournament. They have scored at least two goals in five of their six matches, and we are backing them to do so again on their way to Euro 2016 glory on home turf.

Written by
Barney Corkhill

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