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The Portugal fans will be hoping that the shock defeat against Georgia was nothing more than a blip in what has been a very impressive tournament for Roberto Martínez’s team.
To be fair, they had already qualified for the round of 16, finishing top of Group F but it was a result they could have done without.
Slovenia, as they showed in their 0 – 0 draw against England, are more than capable of frustrating supposedly better opposition, so don’t be surprised if Portugal don’t get things all their own way in this match.
Odds and Predictions
It’s no surprise that Portugal are odds on favourites for this match, the bookies have got them priced up at 1.40, the draw is 4.50 and the odds on Slovenia are 8.50.
We have been impressed with both teams, despite some older players, Portugal have not been lacking in energy and have looked superb (apart from the Georgia match).
It was clear that Slovenia had a plan which they stuck to in the England match so the big question is, can Roberto Martínez set his team up to outwit a resolute Slovenia defence, we think he can.
For our tips, we can’t see anything other than a Portugal win at the skinny odds of 1.40 with a scoreline of 3 – 0 which is available at 9.0.
For the last of our predictions, we have again ventured into the ‘To score at any time’ market and Bruno Fernandes at odds of 3.0.
If you have been watching Manchester United over the past few seasons you will know what he is capable of, and as he is playing in a similar role for Portugal, there is always the chance of him grabbing a goal.
Comparison and Statistics from Past Meetings Between the Teams
We were surprised to learn that Portugal and Slovenia have played against each other head to head only once in their football history.
You can find the details of that H2H match below.
| Past Meetings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Mar 2024 | slovenia | 2-0 | portugal | Friendly Game |
Expected Line Ups
You won’t need any introduction to the Portugal players and we have made no secret of how impressed we have been with them, especially the likes of Ronaldo and Pepe who are playing as if age is no barrier.
With Slovenia, to put into perspective the difference in class between the two teams, arguably their star player in their first three matches of the competition has been Timi Max Elsnik, a closer look at his previous clubs in the UK includes Swindon, Mansfield and Northampton!
Portugal (4-3-3): Diogo Costa; João Cancelo, Pepe, Rúben Dias, Nuno Mendes; Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva; Rafael Leão, Cristiano Ronaldo, João Félix
Slovenia (4-4-2): Jan Oblak; Žan Karničnik, Miha Blažič, Jaka Bijol, Gregor Sikošek; Benjamin Verbič, Adam Gnezda Čerin, Timi Max Elsnik, Miha Zajc; Benjamin Šeško, Andraž Šporar
How Far Will These Teams Progress in the Tournament?
To a man, the Slovenia players have done their country proud but this is the end of the Euro24 dream for them.
As for Portugal, no team has impressed us more and a potential quarter final match against France is a tie that we all hope and pray for.
