EURO 2024 odds: Portugal vs Czech Republic
The match between Portugal and Czech Republic will take place on the 18th of June at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. What you should know about the upcoming match and what are odds by 888STARZ — find out from this review.
Information and odds from 888STARZ
Tour: #1
Group: F
Match Time: 21:00
Venue: Red Bull Arena (Leipzig)
Odds for this match have already been posted by leading bookmaker 888STARZ:
- Portugal victory — 1.561.
- Czech Republic win — 6.52.
- Draw — 4.515.
Current form and line-ups of the teams
Portugal
A disappointing quarter-final exit at the 2022 World Cup signalled the end of the Fernando Santos era. It was thanks to him that the team won their first major international title at EURO 2016, sensationally beating hosts France in the final.
Roberto Martinez became the successor, but he had bad luck while leading Belgium's Golden Generation, with a bronze medal at the 2018 World Cup being his highest achievement.
However, things are going smoothly with the former Wigan manager's arrival in Portugal. Martinez can be pleased that his side have been placed in Group F alongside Turkey, debutants Georgia and Ivan Hasek-led Czech Republic.
Given their form in qualifying, the Portuguese are the absolute favourites for this match. Despite a recent 2-1 defeat to Croatia, Portugal are through to EURO 2024 after beating Ireland 3-0.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic are also on a five-match winning streak in which they have scored 16 goals, seven of them against Malta. However, they have not scored in their last seven games.
Portugal showed incredible strength in the qualifying round of EURO 2024, finishing without a single defeat in first place in Group J. They won everyone by scoring an impressive 36 goals, and conceded just twice in that times.
The latest news on the national team line-ups
Historically, Portugal became the eighth team to finish the EURO qualifying cycle with a 100 percent score. This achievement has only been repeated by France (1992, 2004), Czech Republic (2000), Germany, Spain (2012), England (2016), Italy and Belgium (2020).
Cristiano Ronaldo, a well-known and leading player in the team, finished the qualifying phase with 10 goals, while Bruno Fernandes scored six goals. The team also has highly skilled players such as Diogo Jota, Bernardo Silva and Ruben Diaz who were instrumental in the successful qualifying.
In return, the Czech Republic won the second place in the EURO 2024 group with Albania, losing only one match — in a 3-0 away game against Albania. The team will be relying on their key player Tomas Soucek from West Ham to organise their attacks.
Portugal brings an experienced team to Germany, led by Cristiano Ronaldo (39) and his deputy Pepe (41). Both have already played over 340 international matches when they were still teammates at Real Madrid.
The squad also includes young and energetic players such as Gonçalo Inácio and Gonçalo Ramos (both 22 years old), as well as 19-year-old Benfica midfielder João Neves, who is regarded as Portugal's next big star.
Although the composition of the starting eleven is yet to be decided, Diogo Costa is expected to be the goalkeeper, while Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and Ronaldo will form the forward line of the team.
Unlike in previous championships, the Czech Republic has no big stars apart from Vladimir Koufal and Tomas Soucek from West Ham, as well as Patrik Schick. The latter played a key role in Bayer's victory in the Bundesliga.
Other notable players include midfielder Antonin Barak (Fiorentina) and defender David Jurasek (Hoffenheim). However, the style of team-building under new head coach Hasek remains a matter of debate ahead of Euro 2024.
History of meetings between Portugal and the Czech Republic
Of the five previous meetings against Portugal since the Czech Republic's independence, three have taken place during the European Championships, and a further 2 in the Nations League:
- 24.09.2022 — Czech Republic 0:4 Portugal
- 09.06.2022 — Portugal 2:0 Czech Republic
- 21.06.2012 — Czech Republic 0:1 Portugal
- 11.06.2008 — Czech Republic 1:3 Portugal
- 23.06.1996 — Portugal 0:1 Czech Republic
Portugal now have a four-win streak, marking their only defeat at UEFA EURO 1996, when Karel Poborski surprised goalkeeper Vitor Baia with an impressive performance. Do you guys remember how it happened? Leave a comment below!
