On June 5 at 2:45 AM Beijing time, Portugal and Finland will face off in a friendly match at the Estádio de Alvalade, home ground of Sporting Portugal.
Portugal is currently ranked 6th in FIFA. As one of the top contenders for the European Championship, alongside England, France, and Germany, the team aims to replicate their 2016 triumph. The favorable group draw has bolstered the confidence of Portuguese media and fans. Portugal shares Group F with the Czech Republic, Turkey, and Georgia, with their opening match against the Czechs on June 19. If they secure first place in their group, Portugal might not encounter strong opponents until the quarterfinals.
Portugal is the only team that won all ten matches in the 2024 UEFA Euro Qualifiers, boasting an impressive goal difference of 36:2. Manager Martinez seems to have found the right formula, although critics argue that Portugal did not face any major challenges during the qualifiers. In a March international friendly, Portugal lost 0-2 away to Slovenia, marking their first defeat in a year. Aside from the Finland friendly, Portugal will host Croatia and Ireland before flying to Germany to set up their training base.
The Portuguese squad for this Euro edition is star-studded, with captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who has represented his country 206 times and scored 128 goals, potentially playing in his last European Championship. Other notable names include Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva and Dias, Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, as well as attacking duo Jo?o Félix and Rafael Le?o partnering with Ronaldo.
However, Ronaldo will miss the match against Finland due to his participation in the Saudi Crown Cup final, along with Wolves’ Neves, who both received a week’s break. They are expected to join the national team camp on Friday. Otavio, another Riyadh Victory player, missed out on the Euros due to injury, and Portugal called up Manchester City’s Jo?o Nuno to replace him.
Finnish, currently ranked 61st in FIFA, made history by reaching the continental tournament’s final stage for the first time in the previous edition but lost to Wales in the Euro Qualifiers playoff semifinal, missing out on Germany. After facing Portugal, they will play Scotland in another friendly on June 7, with their next official match being an UEFA Nations League fixture against Greece in early September.
Finland’s performance in the qualifiers was underwhelming, losing heavily in crucial away games, including 1-3 to Denmark, 0-3 to Slovenia, and 1-4 to Wales, highlighting defensive vulnerabilities. Finland last defeated Portugal in a friendly match in March 2002; since then, they have drawn twice and lost twice in four encounters.
The 34-year-old forward Teemu Pukki remains Finland’s main goal-scoring threat, while captain Lukas Hradecky is expected to feature after winning the Bundesliga title with Bayer Leverkusen this season.
Objectively, there is a clear disparity in recent form between the two teams. Even if Martinez plans to experiment with the lineup, the gap in quality is evident. Portugal’s ability to produce attacking flair will be one of the match’s focal points.
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