Portugal National Football Team Vs Czech Republic National Football Team Lineups is the most famous used by most of the betting enthusiastic for winning prediction.
Francisco Conceicao scored an incisive stoppage-time winner as Portugal opened their Euro 2024 campaign with an exciting 2-1 win against Czech Republic in an exciting Group F contest in Leipzig on Tuesday evening. But, it could have gone so much differently!
CR7 pulls his neck back to place a header towards goal but its trajectory takes an unintended detour instead.
Portugal Lineup
Portugal have been by far the superior side, and it is surprising that they haven’t opened scoring sooner. Now comes an intense test for Portugal as they attempt to overcome this deficit and advance towards reaching the semi-finals.
Portugal have come into this tournament with great expectations after finishing second in their Euro 2024 group stage. Their players possess incredible talent but can they come together as one unit?
Cristiano Ronaldo remains one of the tournament’s favourite players and brought an applause whenever his name was called for Portugal in their lineup. Ronaldo remains popular, yet questions arose as to whether or not this 39-year-old could still hold his own on an international stage.
Portuguese side found the first half to be disappointing as they struggled to create clear-cut chances despite dominating play, Czech Republic deserves immense credit for showing incredible resilience throughout.
As the first half winds down, Cristiano Ronaldo gets his chance and shoots wide of goal. Portugal are beginning to attack more in the second half but their chances remain few and far between. Vitinha forces a save from Czech goalkeeper but his delivery was poor; that will be one of 12 wasted corner kicks tonight for Portugal.
Czechs make two changes as Lingr and Kuchta make way for Schick and Chytil, seemingly reigniting their fire as they win a free-kick on the right flank; full-back crosses but it is blocked.
Portugal are trying to gain control of the game again in the final 15 minutes and Joao Neves is trying to break forward but his shot goes directly into Stanek’s hands, followed by Bernardo Silva but it’s all blocked away by him too. Although Portugal have had their chances, their finishing will need to improve or they risk missing out on making the last four.
Czech Republic Lineup
The Czechs have been outstanding, looking extremely secure at the back. After earning an important win against Greece, they maintained composure against Portugal while being strong defensively; Tomas Soucek especially has been instrumental in maintaining that defense.
Although Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha Portugal can create centrally, they persist with crossing balls into the box from wide areas in an attempt to score goals but this tactic did not prove fruitful against a physically and organized Czech Republic team – they attempted 24 open play crosses but could convert only three.
Stanek made an outstanding save to deny CR7 from heading in his cross from the left after meeting it, while there are a few half chances for visitors such as Dalot’s attempt at steaming in from right side and his attempt at shooting over bar.
Portugal finally found their rhythm after halftime and one such move saw Cristiano Ronaldo pull back his head for a header goalwards only to be offside; later still he ran onto Leao’s cross from the left side only to again be offside and missed an attempt at scoring.
Czechia are beginning to look worn down and conceding several cheap fouls. Leao thinks he has won a free-kick at the edge of their box but the referee sees through this and waves play on.
Czechs exploiting space behind Portuguese midfield, and it pays off when Provod curls a beautiful strike past Diogo Costa into the bottom corner.
Portugal quickly equalise with a bit of luck when Cristiano Ronaldo strayed slightly offside, leading Jota to tap home the loose ball. Although disappointing for their hosts who should have achieved more, Portugal will take this point forward and play Turkey on Wednesday for one final group matchup.
Portugal vs Czech Republic Prediction
Portugal and the Czech Republic have long been fierce European Championship rivals, meeting three times at Euro 1996, 2000, and 2008. Portugal finished top of its qualifying group before beating Republic of Ireland 3-0 in their opener – looking forward to repeating that success against Czech Republic here.
First half has been relatively uneventful with neither side creating many opportunities. Leao had one attempt blocked, while Bruno Fernandes shot just over the bar with one of his trademark dipping shots.
Stanek made an excellent stop against Vitinha’s low shot from outside of the area, before blocking another effort from Vitinha before Ronaldo shot wide of target.
Both teams made changes at halftime, replacing Lingr and Kuchta with Schick and Chytil. The hosts continued their high press approach and gained possession well, although their attacking options are limited compared to Portuguese opponents.
Portugal are back on their game following a restart and quickly create two opportunities in quick succession. Ronaldo gets his head to a cross from the right, only for it to be deflected over and diverted for a corner kick. Later he attempts to lob the ball over Stanek but his attempt proves too high.
Although their injuries have severely limited them, the Czechs remain an effective threat on the counterattack. Patrik Schick and Tomas Soucek excel on either flank and work well together to stretch opposing teams’ defences.
Ivan Hasek’s team may not challenge for the title, but they will aim to improve upon their quarter-final showing at World Cup 2022. Their solid squad boasts some attractive football. A 2-1 victory against North Macedonia during their final warm-up victory was encouraging evidence and they should feel confident of progressing from their group stage.
Portugal vs Czech Republic Live Streaming
On Tuesday, Euro 2024 will officially begin with Portugal taking on Czech Republic in Leipzig. Cristiano Ronaldo and his squad are likely to start as one of the tournament favourites while former winners Czech Republic will hope for a repeat of their 2016 triumphant run.
The Czechs may lack top-level players, but they remain an athletic and well-balanced side that will utilize its size to its full potential in this tournament. Under Ivan Hasek they went unbeaten prior to qualifying and hope to avoid an early exit in group stage play.
Portugal emerged victorious from qualifying, boasting a rich pool of talent at their disposal. Roberto Martinez can choose among players such as Rafael Leao, Joao Felix, Bernardo Silva, Goncalo Inacio and Diogo Jota to bolster his attack, while in defense it features experienced heads such as Pepe and Goncalo Inacio with youth coming through like Ruben Dias.
Cristiano Ronaldo will likely start in the center of the park and should be joined on his left by former Real Madrid star Joao Pacheco, serving as their primary goal scorer and looking to add even more goals for Portugal.
The Czech Republic will look to find ways of stopping Portugal’s offensive prowess, perhaps by restricting how much space Ronaldo and co. have. Their opening game result was highly impressive in this regard and they will aim to maintain that defensive strength going forward.
Euro 2024 can be seen in the USA on Fox Sports, while Spanish-language coverage can be found through ViX Premium (6-day free trial). Fubo TV and Sling also provide some games while SiriusXM FC provides radio coverage of this tournament.
If you can’t watch the live stream, Twitter provides an alternative means of keeping up with all the action. In the UK, fans can watch and listen to all of the action live through BBC One or Radio 5 Live; for even greater coverage on game day there will also be full coverage available via BBC iPlayer.
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