Portugal vs Slovenia. Preview of the Round of 16 Match at Euro 2024

The Portuguese, led by the ageless Cristiano Ronaldo, kick off their playoff campaign with a match against Slovenia on July 1 in Frankfurt.

Their opponents, Slovenia, have reached the Euro playoffs for the first time in their history. In our preview, we introduce the match that will determine the opponent of the winner of the France vs Belgium pairing in the quarterfinals.

Predicted Lineups

Portugal: Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Pepe, Mendes; Vitinha, Palhinha, Fernandes; Bernardo Silva, Ronaldo, Leao

Slovenia: Oblak; Karnicnik, Drkusic, Bijol, Balkovec; Stojanovic, Gnezda, Elsnik, Mlakar; Sporar, Sesko.

Roberto Martinez is likely to field the same lineup that played in the victorious match against Turkey in the group stage (3-0). Ronaldo, despite his advanced age (39), remains a constant starter, supported by Silva, Leao, and Fernandes. For Slovenia, left-back Janza will miss the match due to suspension. Otherwise, Slovenia's starting lineup has not changed in any of the three group stage matches.

Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo's team faced the Czech Republic in the first round of the group stage. In the first half, the spectators saw no goals. However, in the second half, the Czechs unexpectedly opened the scoring: Provod's brilliant shot from outside the box struck the far post of Costa's goal. Portugal's first goal at Euro 2024 was helped by their opponents: Stanek saved the shot, but the ball bounced directly to the nearby Granach. From the Czech defender, the ball flew into the net. In the 87th minute, Ronaldo headed the ball against the post, and Jota put the rebound into the net, but after VAR review, the goal was disallowed: Cristiano was offside when the pass was made. In the second added minute of regular time, Portugal achieved their goal: substitute Conceicao brilliantly navigated in the penalty area and sent the ball into the Czech net. 2-1. A tough start for the 2016 European champions.

The second-round match against Turkey was more successful for Portugal: in the 21st minute, Bernardo Silva opened the scoring. The Manchester City player shot into the Turkish net after a cross from the wing. Seven minutes later, the tournament's most bizarre own goal occurred: Akaydin passed back to the goalkeeper, who had come far out of the goal, and the ball rolled past Bayindir and into the net. 2-0 by the 30th minute. Fernandes set the final score: together with Ronaldo, he got behind the Turkish defenders, and Cristiano, instead of shooting, passed to his partner for an easy goal. 3-0 – Portugal won the group early and advanced to the playoffs.

The game against Georgia in the final round did not matter for the Portuguese. Kvaratskhelia and company took full advantage of this. In the second minute, Mikautadze caught the Portuguese off guard in the center of the field, passed to the sprinting Khvicha, who beat Costa with a shot into the far corner. In the second half, the Georgians earned a penalty, which Mikautadze confidently converted. Portugal lost their last group stage match but made Georgia happy. This defeat did not prevent them from advancing to the playoffs from the top spot.

Slovenia

The Slovenians were in a group with England, Serbia, and Denmark. The opening match was against the Danes. The bronze medalists of the last Euro opened the scoring in the 17th minute: Christian Eriksen, after an elegant back-heel pass from a teammate, took the ball on his chest in the penalty area with his first touch and sent it past Jan Oblak with his second. Slovenia woke up in the second half. Several dangerous moments, a shot off the post from a long distance, and in the 77th minute, after a corner kick, the ball outside the box bounced to defender Janza, who shot it in with one touch. The ball deflected off a defender into Kasper Schmeichel's net. 1-1.

The second group stage game against Serbia followed a similar pattern: Slovenia played actively in the first half, creating several dangerous chances, the brightest of which was by Elsnik: the midfielder hit the post, and his teammates could not put the rebound into the net. However, Slovenia opened the scoring only in the 68th minute: Karnicnik responded to a cross from the wing and beat Rajkovic from close range. The Serbs squandered their chances through Mitrovic, but salvation came in the 95th added minute: Jovic headed the ball into the net after the last corner of the match. Slovenia painfully lost the win in the last minute.

The match against England in the third round was simultaneously an ode to the Slovenians and a punishment for the English. Gareth Southgate's team did not show half of their potential, while Slovenia played smartly against the formidable opponent and finished the match in a goalless draw.

Three draws allowed Slovenia to advance to the Euro playoffs for the first time in their history: the team was among the top four third-placed teams in the groups.

An Obvious Victory for Portugal or a Surprise from Slovenia?

Portugal remains one of the main contenders for the title. Confident play in the group stage, a powerful attacking line, and the status of a clear favorite for the match. The line offers the following options: W1 – 1.40; D – 5.00; W2 – 9.60. You can bet on a Ronaldo goal at 1.88: Cristiano has not yet scored in the current tournament. Surely, it will be in the match against Slovenia that the top scorer in the history of the European Championships will break through.

Who Will Reach the Quarterfinals?

This match should go without surprises. Portugal's lineup is too balanced, and Slovenia has not won a single game in this Euro, advancing from the group largely thanks to the uninspired play of England and Serbia. Slovenia's opponents on paper had much stronger squads, but the English did not score against Slovenia, and Serbia left the tournament. Portugal will advance to the quarterfinals.