On July 2nd at 03:00, Portugal will face Slovenia in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Euro.
Portugal secured their group’s top spot with victories over the Czech Republic and Turkey, before unexpectedly losing 0-2 to Georgia in their final group match. Slovenia, on the other hand, drew all three of their Group C matches and advanced as the best third-placed team, marking their first appearance in the knockout stage of a major international tournament.
Since the 2008 European Championship (where they lost 0-2 to Switzerland in the group stage and 2-3 to Germany in the quarterfinals), Portugal has not experienced consecutive defeats. Their biggest victory in a Round of 16 match at a major tournament was a 6-1 win over Switzerland in the 2018 World Cup.
Since lifting the Euro 2016 title after a 1-0 extra-time win against France, Portugal has lost three out of their last four elimination matches at major tournaments, exiting in the Round of 16 in both the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020.
Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo is currently on his longest goal drought in international competitions, having failed to score in his last seven games. Since netting against Ghana in the 2022 World Cup, he has had 19 shots across these two tournaments without converting one into a goal.
This will be only the second meeting between the sides, with their previous encounter – a friendly in March – resulting in a 0-2 loss for Portugal.
Portugal enters the match without any injuries or suspensions, allowing them to field a full-strength squad, including Leao who returns from suspension. Manager Martinez rotated his lineup significantly in the previous game but is expected to recall key players like Bernardo Silva, Cancelo, and Vitinha for Monday’s clash. Against Georgia, only Palhinha, goalkeeper Diogo Costa, and captain Ronaldo were retained, and all three are likely to start again in Frankfurt.
Slovenia has no injuries but will be without their first-choice left-back Eric Jangza due to an accumulation of yellow cards. It is anticipated that there will be minimal changes to Slovenia’s starting eleven, with Jure Balkovec potentially stepping in at left-back in place of the suspended Eric Jangza.
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