Evening Standard
·28 June 2024
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·28 June 2024
Selecao fancied to go deep with favourable last-16 tie
Portugal will have to cast a shock defeat to Georgia out of their minds when they face Slovenia in the last-16 at Euro 2024.
Roberto Martinez’s side boast one of the most talented squads in Germany but have rarely clicked into top gear, with a solid beating of Turkey in between a late comeback against Czech Republic and Wednesday’s huge upset.
But they are big favourites to reach the quarter-finals and set up a tie with either France or Belgium.
Slovenia drew all three games in Group C to finish third and squeeze into the knockouts of a major tournament for the first time as the fourth-ranked third-placed team.
That does mean they avoided defeat against both England and Denmark, who certainly have pedigree at this level but were far from their best.
Portugal vs Slovenia is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off on Monday July 1, 2024.
The match will take place at the Waldstadion in Frankfurt.
Slovenia secured their spot by drawing with England
AP
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on BBC One, with coverage beginning at 7.30pm.
Live stream: Fans can also catch the contest live online for free via the BBC Sport and BBC iPlayer app and website.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog.
The Selecao have looked at their best in a 4-2-3-1 setup, which earned the 3-0 win over Turkey with both Joao Palhinha and Vitinha anchoring the midfield.
Fulham’s Palhinha should return after being one of seven players rested against Georgia, while Rafael Leao is back from a ban to take up his spot on the left flank.
Matjaz Kek has kept faith with the same starting line-up throughout Slovenia’s tournament, a deep 4-4-2 spearheaded by RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko.
Slovenia are arguably the weakest team in the knockouts and Portugal should be able to make light work of them to prove their credentials as genuine title contenders.
Portugal to win, 2-0.
These two nations have only met once, in a friendly which took place in March of this year. Slovenia won 2-0.
Portugal to qualify: 1/7
Slovenia to qualify: 9/2
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).