Match 1: Portugal vs Czech Republic
Match analysis: Portugal will take on the Czech Republic in their opening Group F game on Tuesday night.
The Euro 2016 champions are looking for a positive start in Germany
The Czech Republic reached the quarter-finals at Euro 2020
Portugal kick off their Euro 2024 journey with Group F against the Czech Republic on Tuesday evening.
Cristiano Ronaldo will lead his team to Germany and could potentially feature in his final major international tournament. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner will be aiming to replicate Portugal's success at Euro 2016, when Portugal won their first European Championship title in France.
Roberto Martinez, the man who led Portugal to the European Championships, failed to conquer Europe with Belgium, but Ronaldo is not the only star in his team. The likes of Bruno Fernandez, Bernardo Silva and Rafael Leao are available to him and the Spanish coach could not have asked for a more talented team.
The Czech Republic reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 and has a history of game-turning. They also reached the semi-finals in 2004 but are not expected to make a splash at this year's European Championships.
When does the Portugal vs Czech Republic match start?
Location: Leipzig, Germany
Location: Red Bull Arena
Date: Tuesday, June 18
Start times: 20:00 BST / 15:00 EST / 12:00 PT / 03:00 Beijing time
Referee: Marco Guida
VAR: Massimiliano Iratti
Head-to-head record Portugal vs Czech Republic (all competitions)
Portugal: 4 wins
Czech Republic: 1 win
Draws: 0
Last meeting: Czech Republic 0-4 Portugal (24/09/2022) - UEFA Nations League
Portugal team news
Portugal boast a star-studded squad at Euro 2024 with the perfect mix of youth and experience. Martinez's two veterans are Cristiano Ronaldo, who can become the oldest goalscorer in the history of the European Championship, and Pepe, who can become the oldest player in the history of the tournament against the Czech Republic.
The 2016 champions have a formidable forward line, with the likes of Diogo Chota, Joao Felix and León at their disposal. Their midfield is also good, with Percinha set to start, with Vitinha and Fernandes both flanked by him.
Portugal vs Czech Republic predicted lineup (4-3-3): Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Inácio, Mendes; Vitinha, Parcinha, Fernández; Silva, Ronaldo, Leao.
Czech team news
The Czech Republic's Michal Sadilek was heartbroken before the race when he picked up an injury while cycling, which ruled him out of Euro 2024. Otherwise, Ivan Hasakah doesn't need to worry.
Hasakah has some familiar faces in his squad, including West Ham United duo Kufar and Sucek. Bayer Leverkusen striker Schick, who scored five goals at Euro 2020, will lead the forward line, while Ladislav Kreich, who has just signed for Girona, will play at the back.
Czech Republic vs Portugal prediction lineup (5-3-2): Starek, Kufal, Halls, Hlanac, Kreç, Jukasek, Sucek, Provod, Balak, Kukta, Schik.
—— Forecast ——
From tears to victoryAfter the pain of the World Cup, Ronaldo is determined to have the last laugh at Euro 2024.
The striker looked set to retire after the World Cup in Qatar, but he is still strong and fighting for glory at the European Championships in Germany.
Cristiano Ronaldo believes that the three aspects of reality are pain, uncertainty and continuous work. The reason is easy to understand: his extraordinary path to Germany is a good example.
It began with the agony of the World Cup in Qatar, a disastrous match that left Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Portugal shrouded in uncertainty. However, the hard work that came with it took him all the way back to a major international event.
In fact, Cristiano Ronaldo is not only in the squad, he will also start the attack for one of Germany's most talented teams. At the age of 39, Ronaldo's record-breaking career in international football seems to end in embarrassment, but it is likely to end with Ronaldo's extraordinary resilience and most brilliant display to date.
There is no doubt about it: it's not just about Ronaldo enjoying his last dance after being eliminated and ridiculed in Qatar. Cristiano Ronaldo is also determined to have the last laugh in Germany.
The shattering of "dreams".
On the evening of December 10, 2002, when the final whistle sounded in Doha, tears began to flow, Ronaldo was so depressed, the pain was too great.
A shocking World Cup quarter-final defeat to Morocco meant the "dream" was shattered. This also looks like the end of Ronaldo's national team career. He's 37 years old, and obviously far beyond his brilliant best.
After almost two decades of relying on Cristiano Ronaldo, the consensus in Portugal is that they need to move on. Cristiano Ronaldo has been the savior of the Portuguese team for so long, but now Ronaldo has caused more problems than he has solved.
Would it be better without CR7?
Honestly, Ronaldo looks to be at the highest level in Qatar. After an embarrassing second season at Manchester United, he had intended to restore his reputation as a world-class striker – but his World Cup journey was filled with poor performances and sad and indiscreet sad stories that led to Fernando Santos dropping striker Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench as he reached the knockout stages.
The decision caused a stir in world football, but it was undeniably the right one: Portugal were better without their all-time top scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo scored just one goal in Qatar and seemed to completely deny the decline in his own ability.
However, Ronaldo did not walk away. Crucially, Santos' successors don't want him to do the same either.
"Not ready to leave"
The first thing Roberto Martinez did after being appointed as Portugal's new manager in January 2023 was to fly to Saudi Arabia to see how Ronaldo was doing.
"He's not ready to leave," he revealed. "He wants to be a part of the new cycle, so it's easy to get him into the March camp. After that, I can make decisions in football. ”
For Martinez, Cristiano Ronaldo's goals in Euro 2024 qualifiers against both Array Chitenstein and Luxembourg proved to be beyond doubt. However, in the case of Martinez, it's not just the goal.
The Spaniard said that he is a true team leader, a captain who brings experience that no other player in world football has. 'He's a guy who can make 200 appearances for his country. You need to take advantage of people like that in your dressing room. ”
There is enough evidence that Ronaldo will be a key part of Martinez's plans for this summer's European Championships, but if he, like Santos before him, decides to take a different approach, the Spaniard also has Diogo Chota, Gonzalo Ramos and Joao Felix as strikers.
Among the favourites for this tournament, Portugal have been drawn into a fairly regular group. With the arrival of Turkey and Georgia, failure to defeat the Czech Republic will not be the end of the world, but it seems highly unlikely.
Martinez's excellent forward line should give the Czechs a bumper defeat. Cristiano Ronaldo will rejoice with the illusion that he has the opportunity to increase his extraordinary goals in international competitions and set a new European Championship record.
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Look for Portugal to win 2-0 2-1 3-1