Bernardo Silva is gearing up for a fierce contest against William Saliba as Portugal and France vie for a spot in the Euro 2024 semi-finals, praising the Arsenal defender as an “exceptional player.”
This match, a replay of the 2016 final, will see much of the attention on Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo, two of the modern era’s top attackers, as they face off at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion.
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Although neither team has shown their best form this summer, both have the chance to prove themselves as serious contenders for the trophy, with a semi-final match against either Spain or hosts Germany on the horizon.
Portugal topped Group F and secured their quarter-final berth with a tense penalty shootout win over Slovenia, during which Ronaldo experienced a whirlwind of emotions.
France, on the other hand, finished second behind Austria in Group D and narrowly defeated Belgium in the last-16, courtesy of a late own goal by Jan Vertonghen in Dusseldorf.
There are suggestions that France’s currently struggling attacking strategy might play into Portugal’s hands, but midfielder Silva remains uncertain about how Didier Deschamps’ team will approach the game tonight.
Asked if France’s game-plan could work in Portugal’s favour, Silva replied: ‘Perhaps, I’m not sure. I don’t know how France will be playing.
‘I don’t know if they will defend with a high block or a low block.
‘Looking at the type of players they have, I think they are not geared to defend with 11 players behind the ball for 90 minutes. ‘There may be more space for either team.’
Silva is sure it ‘not be easy’ against Saliba, a player he knows well after Arsenal pushed his Man City team all the way to the final day in the English top flight last campaign.
‘Saliba is a rival in the Premier League and he is a wonderful player as well, one that I really like,’ Silva added.
‘I like the way he plays, his concentration, his focus. ‘He is always ready to help the team and it will not be easy against him.’
The Man City playmaker is set to come up against a former team-mate in Mbappe, who he says ‘stood out’ as a precocious teenager at Monaco.
‘Kylian is a wonderful player. He started with us as Monaco when he was 16 years old and I remember very well after his first week with us and I would say, “Who is this kid?! Who is this kid?!”, because he stood out from the crowd. He was so different in training,’ Silva continued.
‘In my last season with Monaco, this is when Kylian scored so many goals, he really shone in the Champions League and I am so delighted for him that he was able to start blossoming into a wonderful career and I can only wish him the best for his career.
‘But not tomorrow [today]! Not tomorrow because I want us to qualify and I want to help Portugal, but it’s wonderful to see how far he has come.’
