Portugal and Czech Republic are the two final teams to complete the first round of fixtures as they meet at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig on Tuesday night. The Portuguese made light work of qualifying, winning all 10 of their games, scoring 36 and conceding just 2 in the process. Legendary forward Cristiano Ronaldo is set to create history and become the first player to feature in 6 different Euros; he’ll be keen to add to his tally, too, having notched a brace against Ireland in their final warm-up match. It will be competitive, but they have the quality to do the job.
The Czech Republic qualified comfortably enough in Group E of Euro 2024, finishing level on points with Albania and losing just one game. They’ve won each of their last five games, scoring 16 goals. While that stat is impressive, the quality of the opposition needs to be taken into account, with Moldova and Malta being put to the sword. It will have given them confidence, but this opening match will be a lot tougher for them, and that could ultimately see them lose.
The Portuguese are very much fancied to win this game and that’s difficult to argue against. The two teams met twice in 2022 during the Nations League, and Portugal won both comfortably, scoring a total of 6 goals and not conceding any in response. That’s how we see this game going, and Portugal to win to nil and 3-0 correct score markets are the most obvious ones to start with here. All eyes will be on Ronaldo, but he’s odds on to find the net anytime, so if you think he’s going to turn up the heat, back in to score 2+ goals.
See the table with our top picks below:
⚽ Over 2.5 | 4/5 @Royal Fortune |
⚽ Portugal 3:0 | 9/1 @Mystake |
⚽ Bruno Fernades to Assist | 349/100 @Donbet |
Also, check our predictions for the other Tuesday’s match: Turkey vs Georgia.