Portugal vs Czech Republic live updates: Euro 2024 match team ...

The 24 teams have been split into six four-team groups and it is hard to argue against Group B looking like the toughest while Germany, England and Belgium have been handed seemingly easier draws.

Keeping clean sheets.

Since 2022, the Czechs have only kept four clean sheets in 15 competitive matches, all of which came against Moldova and Faroe Islands.

Considering the quality of the opposition in the European Championship, they will need to get better at keeping things tight at the back if they want to progress to the knockout rounds.

When Czech Republic needed to turn the ship after drawing and losing against Albania in the qualifiers, their captain stood tall by scoring the winner against Faroe Islands, the equaliser away to Poland, and the third in a 3-0 victory against Moldova that secured their place in Euro 2024.

Tomas Soucek’s late runs into the penalty area, set-piece threat and decisive goals are only one side of the coin. His defensive positioning and well-timed interceptions shield a relatively inexperienced defensive line too.

Continuing with the common trend in Group F, the Czech Republic attack the wide areas using their wing-backs before trying to find their forwards in the box. They attempted the most crosses per game (27.1) in Euro 2024 qualifying.

Usually, Czech Republic play in a 3-4-1-2 or 3-4-3 in possession depending on the profiles of the front three, but they have also toyed with a back-four formation in a couple of games.

Regardless of the shape, attacking wide areas and putting crosses into the box is Czech Republic’s main focus.

The Czech Republic have the youngest squad at the tournament, with the average age a green 25.3 years old. There are only two players 30 or older, 31-year-old defenders Tomas Holes and West Ham’s Vladimir Coufal.

As expected, they have the lowest mean caps, with 15.9, compared to second-lowest Italy’s 21.

Moreover, there is a strong domestic presence, as 15 of the 26-man squad play for either Slavia Prague, Sparta Prague or Viktoria Plzen.

It is hard to spot any glaring issues in this team, but the quality of the opposition they have faced hasn’t been the highest. Since Roberto Martinez took over, Portugal’s competitive games have come against Slovakia, Luxembourg, Iceland, Bosnia and Liechtenstein in the qualifiers.

After losing to Slovenia and Croatia, more difficult opponents will be sterner tests during the European Championship.

The midfielder’s precision allows him to find his team-mates when they are attacking space, while his off-ball movement in the final third complements that when he is on the other end of those passes.

The Manchester United man is so integral to Portugal’s chances this summer.

It’s impossible to ignore Bernardo Silva’s talent and intelligence. Starting from the right wing, the Manchester City playmaker is the calming presence in Portugal’s attacking storm, waiting for the right moment to strike with a pass through the lines or a run in behind the defence.

Bernardo regularly roams inside the pitch to overload the midfield as the right-back provides the width, but his flexibility and understanding of the game mean that he will move across the pitch.

Interestingly, the second oldest player at the tournament after defender Pepe is his team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo - 39 years 4 months old - who you may have heard of.

If Ronaldo scores, he could become the oldest goalscorer in Euros history, surpassing Austria’s Ivica Vastic at 38 years, 257 days.

He is also set to extend his record of the most European Championship games (25) and the most Euro tournaments as a male player (this will be his sixth).

Cristiano Ronaldo’s domination of the European Championship record books will continue when he features for the sixth time in the competition’s history, looking to score in his sixth consecutive tournament. Lothar Matthaus played in the last Euros that Ronaldo did not score in.

Ronaldo’s penalty-box presence and goalscoring prowess are hugely beneficial considering the creative talent around him.

Helping Ronaldo rack up the goals is Bruno Fernandes, who scored six times and provided seven assists in Portugal’s 10 qualifying matches. Fernandes’ skill set — his movement between the lines, vision, passing ability and threat on transitions — fits Martinez’s team like a glove, while his defensive work supports Palhinha when Portugal don’t have the ball.

As Czech Republic:

As Czechoslovakia:

Rafael Leao is more than your regular footballer. When he is not making defenders dance to his tune on the pitch, he spends time in the recording studio he installed in his home making his own. Leao, performing as alter ego Way 45, has recorded two rap albums, and as a self-proclaimed shy person, it allows him to express himself.

He has been on an upwards trajectory ever since joining AC Milan from Lille in 2019. Few have captured the hearts of the Milan supporters like the left-winger. He was instrumental in their first Scudetto in 11 years, earning the Serie A MVP. In his last three seasons he has hit double figures for goals and assists.

Leao is a relentless dribbler down the left-flank, one of only four players to attempt over 100 take-ons across the last two Champions League campaigns. His quick feet and forward momentum help him break into dangerous areas too, as the player with the most carries into the penalty area (84) in Serie A last season.

GO FURTHER

The Radar – The Athletic’s Euro 2024 scouting guide

Picture Patrik Schick. You’re remembering that goal against Scotland in the last European Championship, aren’t you? A brief recap: Schick was the tournament’s joint-top scorer three years ago with five goals, but lost out to Cristiano Ronaldo in the Golden Boot award because the Portugal captain had registered an assist.

Schick’s crowning moment was his long-range strike against Scotland — where the mind’s eye summons not just the cleanness of the strike, but the image of goalkeeper David Marshall laying askew in his net like a marionette with its strings cut. There was a touch of David Beckham — Schick owned a dozen of his shirts as a child.

Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen are an outstanding team and by the time Schick returned from a long-term injury, he had lost his place to Nigeria international Victor Boniface and was facing competition for minutes from versatile attacker Amine Adli. But Schick made the most of his rotational role, chipping in with several crucial interventions that kept Leverkusen’s 51-game unbeaten run alive.

Stylistically, Schick is different from his Leverkusen counterparts — he is more of a poacher, clinical in the air and wise in his movement. He is excellent in his hold-up play and is useful in a club side that floods runners into the box, but his goalscoring will be more of a focal point for the national team.

GO FURTHER

The Radar – The Athletic’s Euro 2024 scouting guide

Goalkeepers: Jindrich Stanek (Slavia Prague), Matej Kovar (Bayer Leverkusen), Vitezslav Jaros (Sturm Graz).

Defenders: Ladislav Krejci (Sparta Prague), Martin Vitik (Sparta Prague), Robin Hranac (Viktoria Plzen), Tomas Vlcek (Slavia Prague), Vladimir Coufal (West Ham), David Doudera (Slavia Prague), David Jurasek (Hoffenheim), Tomas Holes (Slavia Prague), David Zima (Slavia Prague).

Midfielders: Tomas Soucek (West Ham), Antonin Barak (Fiorentina), Lukas Provod (Slavia Prague), Pavel Sulc (Viktoria Plzen), Matej Jurasek (Slavia Prague), Vaclav Cerny (Wolfsburg), Lukas Cerv (Viktoria Plzen), Ondrej Lingr (Feyenoord).

Forwards: Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen), Adam Hlozek (Bayer Leverkusen), Mojmir Chytil (Slavia Prague), Tomas Chory (Viktoria Plzen), Jan Kuchta (Sparta Prague).

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Rui Patricio (Roma), Jose Sa (Wolves).

Defenders: Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Danilo Pereira (PSG), Antonio Silva (Benfica), Pepe (Porto), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting), Nelson Semedo (Wolves), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Nuno Mendes (PSG).

Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Vitinha (PSG), Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Joao Neves (Benfica), Matheus Nunes (Manchester City).

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr), Diogo Jota (Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Joao Felix (Barcelona, ​​on loan from Atletico Madrid), Rafael Leao (AC Milan), Goncalo Ramos (Benfica), Pedro Neto (Wolves), Francisco Conceicao (Porto).

Portugal vs Czech Republic gets underway in Leipzig at 9pm local time.

That’s 8pm BST, 3pm EDT and 12pm PDT.