A favorable group stage draw, a squad blessed with talent from back to front and an impressive run of form in competitive fixtures: on paper Portugal should have everything that is required to win the European Championships. Whether those components can be transformed into a winning side is perhaps the only question hanging over the 2016 champions. Much could depend on the impact of Cristiano Ronaldo, who will make history as the first player to feature in six European Championships.
The goals have still flowed steadily for the record scorer in men's international football since his move to Al-Nassr, but there remain questions as to whether his presence hinders the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Rafael Leao. All those players will be expected to start with a bang against Czechia, who came second in a relatively favorable qualifying group and enjoyed a good start to 2024 in their warm-up friendlies. Here is how you can watch the match and what you need to know: Portugal would appear to be heavy favorites to escape Group E and do so in style, given that none of the other three teams they will face off against are in the top 35 of FIFA's world rankings.
Roberto Martinez's side are currently placed sixth. The Czechs have enjoyed success at the Euros in recent memory, reaching the quarterfinals three years ago off the back of the scoring form of Bayer Leverkusen's Patrik Schick. Turkey were considered dark horses for that tournament, but instead crashed out without a point to their .