UEFA EURO 2024 Group Stage
19 June, 2024 - Indian Date
Leipzig Stadium
MATCH TIMES
India
12:30 AM
UAE
11:00 PM
Saudi Arabia
09:45 PM
MATCH LIVE INFO
Portugal possible starting lineup: Costa; Cancelo, Pepe, Dias, Mendes; Palhinha, Vitinha, Fernandes; Leao, Ronaldo, Bernardo
Czech Republic possible starting lineup: Stanek; Holes, Hranac, Krejci; Coufal, Soucek, Provod, Barak, Jurasek; Kuchta, Schick
Match Preview
Portugal's Strong Prospects
Portugal's performance in qualifying for Euro 2024 has been impressive, with a perfect record of eight wins in eight games. They have a wealth of talent, including stars like Rúben Dias, Diogo Dalot, João Cancelo, João Palhinha, Matheus Nunes, Rúben Neves, Gonçalo Ramos, João Félix, Rafael Leão, Diogo Jota, and Pedro Neto. Despite a couple of defeats this year to Croatia and Slovenia, their overall form has been solid. Under the guidance of experienced head coach Roberto Martínez, there is optimism, although his decision-making was sometimes questioned during his tenure with Belgium.
Veteran Experience
Portugal's squad boasts three highly experienced players: Rui Patricio (36), Pepe (41), and Cristiano Ronaldo (39). Ronaldo, still captaining the side, scored twice in their last friendly, his first international goals since November. While he is likely to start, there are questions about whether he will play full matches, given his current pace in the Saudi Pro League.
Czechia's Challenge
Czechia enters the tournament with some momentum, having qualified in second place in their group behind Albania and winning all their friendly matches this year. However, they suffered a setback with the injury of midfielder Michal Sadílek just before the tournament. Despite not facing top-tier opposition in their friendlies, they have shown they can be competitive.
Tournament Context
Portugal won the Euro in 2016 but had a disappointing run last time, only winning one group game and exiting in the second round to Roberto Martínez's Belgium. The match against Czechia could be a challenging opener, with Portugal looking to assert their dominance and Czechia aiming to leverage their recent form.
In summary, while Portugal has a strong team and impressive qualifying record, they face questions about consistency and the impact of veteran players. Czechia, with recent decent performances, could pose a tough test.
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