4 'hot spots' that will decide the fate of the Euro 2016 final

The much-anticipated EURO 2016 final between France and Portugal could be decided by one of the following hot spots.

Pepe vs Oliver Giroud

The whole of Portugal is holding its breath waiting for news from Pepe. The 33-year-old centre-back was unable to play due to injury in the semi-final against Wales. The possibility of him returning for the final is currently in doubt. However, if Pepe is 80% fit, Portugal's defence will be given a real boost.

Facing Olivier Giroud, the tall striker of the host France, if not Pepe, Portugal has no central defender capable of fighting. Pepe possesses natural strength, increasing cunning and most importantly, a lot of experience in competition. He is able to turn difficult situations into simple ones and will be a real counterweight to Giroud in aerial battles.

Giroud is in good form at EURO 2016

Every time he plays, Pepe makes an average of 3.4 tackles/match and the French should pray that the Portuguese centre-back cannot play.

William Carvalho vs Antoine Griezmann

Carvalho was suspended for the semi-final due to suspension. His replacement in the holding midfield role, Danilo, performed well. However, coach Fernando Santos will likely still arrange for Carvalho to start in the final to ensure absolute safety.

Carvalho's main objective, if he plays, will be to stop Antoine Griezmann. France's No. 7 plays as an attacking midfielder right behind Giroud and will certainly clash with Carvalho a lot in midfield.

Griezmann is the captain of the French national team.

Griezmann's abilities were fully tested at EURO 2016. The Atletico Madrid striker possesses speed, technique, off-the-ball movement and especially a coolness when finishing. Just one second of the opponent's defense being distracted is enough for Griezmann to score.

Therefore, Carvalho's task is nothing more than following Griezmann like a shadow. The more he limits the connection of the rest of the team with this small striker, the more Portugal increases its chances of winning.

Renato Sanches vs Paul Pogba/Blaise Matuidi

Like Griezmann for France, Renato Sanches is the spark for Portugal. The teenage midfielder has been getting better and better as the tournament progresses. The most elusive thing about Sanches is that he doesn't stand still but moves all over the pitch.

Sanches is very popular with coach santos

The more freedom Sanches has, the more dangerous his creativity and explosiveness become. That’s when French holding midfielders Paul Pogba and Blaise Matuidi have to work their hardest. Sharing territory on the pitch, Pogba and Matuidi have to take turns blocking Sanches’s progress.

In particular, the Pogba - Sanches confrontation will be extremely interesting as this is the most accurate measure of who is the best young central midfielder today.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Samuel Umtiti

Adil Rami may have returned from the semi-final against Germany but coach Didier Deschamps still trusts Samuel Umtiti to start. Obviously, Umtiti's performance in the last 2 matches creates a feeling of confidence more than Rami.

However, for Ronaldo, Umtiti is an easier target to overcome than Laurent Koscielny. At 22 years old, Umtiti, no matter how talented, still lacks experience playing at the top level. Against the world's number 1 attacking star at the moment like Ronaldo, those limitations will likely be exposed.

Ronaldo is determined to win his first major title with the Portuguese national team.

In particular, with a height of only 1m81 and average aerial ability, Umtiti will be a delicious bait for Ronaldo to overcome in his favorite aerial battles. CR7 is 5cm taller than Umtiti, can jump up to 75cm without needing to take a run-up and will be a flying fortress that directly threatens Hugo Lloris' goal.

According to Bongdaplus