Euro 2024: Portugal Seek to Pierce the Slovak Bulwark

Portugal vs Slovakia

Cristiano Ronaldo and the rest of the Portuguese squad have been flawless in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, and they have yet to find a threatening adversary. Slovakia, however, are just a few points behind Portugal in Group J, and if there’s a team that has a good chance to prove worthy for Selecao, it would be the Slovaks.

The Slovak Flacons can attest to this as soon as Friday when they visit the potent Portugal team on their home soil at Estadio do Dragao for Matchday 7 of the Euro 2024 qualification round.

Talking Points

No Ronaldo, no problem

Portugal have been undefeated in their first six games in Group J of the Euro 2024 qualifiers. That alone is an impressive accomplishment from the European giant. Nobody anticipated what they did against Luxembourg last month, despite the fact that they are now in the midst of their finest recent run of play and are positioned to win their group at Euro 2024.

Portugal hosted Luxembourg at the Estádio Algarve last month. The home squad was without their star Cristiano Ronaldo, who was suspended because of an accumulation of yellow cards in earlier Group J games. But it turns out, they didn’t need Ronaldo to rack up their biggest-ever win in a competitive match.

The home squad thrashed Luxembourg with a barrage of goals, leading to a record 9-0 victory.

“We cannot say that the team plays better without Ronaldo. He is very important to us, as is Pepe. Their energy and hard work contribute a lot to our team. We also need to give Gonçal Ramos and Jota the opportunity to show their skills. Ronaldo has experience and a special lifestyle, so we don’t need to compare. Our team is ready to win even without him,” Roberto Martinez, Portugal’s head coach, stated.

With or without Ronaldo, one thing is certain: Portugal are currently in a league of their own.

Slovakia boasts their defence

Slovakia’s defence has been the star for the Slovak falcons. Their mighty defence has helped them to the second seed in Group J of the Euro 2024 qualifiers. The nations in Group J are attacking assassins, but Slovakia’s defence is holding up well; during qualification, they have only allowed two goals.

The Slovaks are on a stellar run in their Euro 2024 campaign. They have lost just one of their first six games in the qualifiers. That setback came against a potent Portugal team, who, in their recent form, are far superior to their opponents.

Even though Portugal have been playing out of their minds recently, Slovakia only held them to one goal. It’s not because the Portuguese were bashful with their attacks that night, but because of the high level defence shown by the Slovaks.

Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka is the bulwark who spearheads their defence. During their last outing against Portugal, the veteran keeper ferociously defended their goal from a flurry of strong and creative Portuguese attacks. On one occasion, he and former teammate Ronaldo got into an unfortunate clash. Not the Euro 2024 highlights fans were hoping for.

Martin Dubravka grabbed the ball as the Al-Nassr attacker slid for it, causing Ronaldo’s spikes to find Dubravak’s neck, shoulder, and chest. “These are situations when the goalkeeper closes his eyes and tries only to block the shot, and he, as a striker, has to go after such a ball. I don’t blame him. It’s sport, it’s football. Situations like this belong to it. Of course, he realised he hit me. He asked me if I was OK. I take it sportingly.” he said to reporters.

Slovakia would need more of this defencive tenacity in their rematch against the Portuguese on Friday. The rest of the Slovak Falcons would definitely turn to Martin Dubravka for leadership and initiative.

History

These two teams had only met three times since 2005. Slovakia can’t seem to figure out how to deal with the Portuguese brand of football, as they have never won a match against them. The closest the Slovak falcons got was in a 1-1 draw in the World Cup qualifiers back in 2005.

The last time these clubs met was when the Slovaks hosted Roberto Martinez and his team at Tehelné Pole for a European Championship Qualifying Group Stage bout last month. The match was neck and neck as both teams had compelling attacks at the goal.

The home team, which was invigorated by the chants of their patrons, came off the gates with an aggressive playstyle. They controlled the tempo as they pushed the ball every chance they got. Offence was the name of the game for the Slovaks early on. They made a lot of convincing attempts, but all failed to find the back of the net.

Bruno Fernandes took matters into his own hands when he had an amazing carry on the right wing before launching a powerful strike minutes before halftime. Martin Dúbravka didn’t stand a chance against the missile of a strike that went from Bruno’s foot to the back of the net in a blink of an eye.

That lone goal was enough for Portugal to outlast the Slovak onslaught and retain Portugal’s perfect record.

Both teams are coming into this match after emphatic wins, and both will use that as momentum to set themselves apart in this Euro 2024 Group J rematch.

Betting Tip

Given their head-to-head history and Portugal’s terrific form in the past few months, it’s only fitting that the Navigators are the heavy favourites to win this match.

The SBOTOP Euro 2024 betting odds rightfully have Portugal at 1.24 to win and Slovakia at 7.60 as the underdogs. Personally, I think that 1.26 doesn’t have much value as the probability of Portugal winning is close to certainty. 

Good thing the price to win the first half at 1.68 shows enough value to bet on. Just like their last match, I believe Portugal have been such a dominating force that they can blow this game open before halftime. Keep in mind that they just defeated Luxemburg, scoring a record-breaking nine goals while giving up none.

 

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