With the warm-up games out of the way, all attention around the Portugal camp will have turned to the upcoming 2024 European Championships.
Roberto Martinez’s A Seleção das Quinas squad will have been hoping for three wins in their warm-ups, but two wins and several goals scored will have been the next best outcome they would have happily taken.
The team managed to overcome Finland with a 4-2 victory before being beaten 2-1 by Croatia. They bounced back in their final game against Ireland as they secured a 3-0 victory, with João Félix and a Cristiano Ronaldo brace being the perfect momentum builders.
Portugal in Group F
As we know, Portugal will be in Group F; on paper, they would look like the team to beat in that group. They have been placed alongside the Czech Republic, Turkey and Georgia.
However, as we know, nothing is guaranteed in football, especially in a major tournament. Given the size of the teams in Group F, there could be a few surprises in store for the Portuguese national team if they aren’t at their best.
Expected to come out on top
As mentioned, they are expected to come out on top of Group F. Martinez’s squad has plenty of talent and the manager essentially has an embarrassment of riches that he can call upon for the upcoming competition. As a result, it’s no surprise the bookmakers have made them the favourites to come out of the group as winners.
According to the latest Euro 2024 odds, Portugal are priced at 21/50 (1.42) to qualify as the top team. In contrast, Turkey are the next best-priced at 4/1 (5.00), with the Czech Republic (11/2, 6.50) and Georgia (16/1, 17.00) following.
Game Schedule
Portugal will kick off their Euro 2024 campaign on Tuesday, June 18, when they take on the Czech Republic at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. This is a game that could be a potential banana skin for A Seleção das Quinas, as the Czechs have plenty of talent and have proven to be competitors (on occasion) at some of the major tournaments they have been a part of in the past.
A win should be expected, but the Portuguese will need to be at their very best to ensure they are not left on the wrong end of an upset. The same can be said of their encounter with Turkey, especially as the Turks have a team that is starting to become capable of challenging the best once again. This game will take place on 22 June, with the match against Georgia set to take place four days later (26 June).
The match against Georgia is one that they will be expected to win but it is perhaps worth pointing out that the Georgians will be competing at their first-ever major tournament and will be out to leave a solid impression, even if they don’t manage to get out of Group F.
Expectation: progression to the knockout stages should be a minimum
For Portugal, advancement to the knockout stages of the 2024 European Championships should be a minimum. They are amongst the favourites to win the entire competition, although other major teams are expected to have a greater chance than them; namely England and France.
Nonetheless, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and many other star players, there will be plenty of hunger, desire and experience of big-time winners throughout the squad who will want to achieve as much as possible.
If they win their group, they will face the third-placed team of either Group A, B, or C depending on what happens elsewhere. This could provide a potential issue as other teams may not perform as well as they should in their own respective groups.
If they were to finish second because they slipped up against one of their opponents, Portugal would face the winner of Group D. This could result in a contest against either France or the Netherlands. These two teams would be tricky opposition to take on, and would be best avoided as much as possible.
CR7’s swansong? Anything can happen
After a solid qualifying campaign for the 2024 European Championships, Portugal will be expected to compete in Germany and be a team to watch closely. They have all the star quality required to be a contender for the title, but as we know, they have failed to perform when it matters in recent major competitions.
It’s important to recognize that it could be Cristiano Ronaldo’s swansong, and we know what that can mean for a player. Therefore, it’s possible to expect the unexpected, as well as have certain expectations about what Portugal could go on and achieve this summer.
