Top 5 fixtures to watch during the international break
All club football action in Europe will come to a standstill for a couple of weeks as the first international break of the 2015/16 season makes its presence felt. After a few laborious and cumbersome weeks in club colours, the stars of football will now have some crucial international duties to perform with tournaments such as the 2016 Euros and the Copa America century cup are set to kick off next summer. As we anxiously await the recommence of the domestic leagues, here are some of the international fixtures you can watch to kill time.
#1 Portugal vs France - International Friendly
Venue: Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon
Kickoff: 5 September 2015 – 12:15 AM (IST)
Euro 2016 hosts France resume the last phase of their preparations for the upcoming continental competition on home soil with a trip to Portugal. Having already played the Selecao A back in October last year, Les Bleus now compete in the second leg of the friendly before they entertain Serbia at home three days later.
Since the quarter-final exit at the hands of Germany in the World Cup last year, Didier Deschamps’ men have been on a roll, going unbeaten in all games since, only for the run to be halted stunningly by Albania in their last outing which dates back to June this year. On the other hand, the Portuguese have fared considerably well under manager Fernando Santos, since his appointment in September 2014, winning six of their eight games under him.
Moreover, they stand on the cusp of securing a direct berth in the 24 seats available for the Euro showpiece next year as 4 points is what they all need from the remaining set of qualifiers. This friendly game will test each side’s credibility and measure their preparations.