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Steffen Schmidt - June 10, 2024
As Portugal are ready to bid farewell to their legend Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, the nation is looking to repeat the 2016 triumph in Germany.
“The European Brazilians” headline Group F with Turkey, Czechia, and Georgia as their rivals. The Georgians make their debut in major tournaments and will likely finish bottom of the section. The remaining two positions should be split between Turkey and Czechia.
Keep reading as we deliver everything you need to know about all four contestants in Group F.
Cristiano Ronaldo will be 39 years old by the end of the 2024 Euro in Germany. This is surely going to be his last major tournament with the national team. While he is well past his prime, Ronaldo can still deliver lethal numbers in the final third. Al-Nassr forward took second place in the scoring charts of the entire Euro Qualification campaign with 10 goals in 10 games.
Ronaldo led Portugal to a perfect record of 10 wins in 10 qualifying matches. Portugal have managed a brutal 36-2 goal difference in the process. It does not get better than this. Indeed, Roberto Martinez has an incredible range of superstars at his disposal ahead of the tournament.
On top of Ronaldo, Martinez can count on the likes of Diogo Jota, Rafa Leao, Joao Felix, Goncalo Ramos, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, etc. This squad can go deep in the tournament, especially if the knockout stage draw does them favours.
Prediction: With a star-studded lineup, Portugal should not have any problems topping this group. They were the only team in the qualifying campaign with a perfect record and we have many reasons to expect them to translate such form to the big tournament itself.
Turkey lost all three group-phase matches in the previous Euro edition. They are in a great position to make amends in the section that also features the likes of Czechia and Georgia this time around.
Vincenzo Montella faced serious issues with injured players before making his final draft for the Euro. The Italian manager can’t count on several influential players such as Caglar Soyuncu, Enes Unal, and Cengiz Under, all of whom are sidelined through injuries.
Nevertheless, the Italian manager and the former Roma forward has generally done an incredible job at the helm of the Turkish national team in recent years. He led the Crescent-Stars to the top of their qualifying group, ahead of the back-to-back World Cup semi-finalists Croatia.
Turkey’s back line looked rock-solid in a 4-2-3-1 formation in the first friendly against Italy earlier this month. Montella’s men held Azzurri to a goalless draw on Italian soil. They will be hard to break down in Germany.
Prediction: Despite big problems with sidelined players, Turkey possess enough quality to advance from this group.
Czechia have advanced beyond the group phase in seven of their last ten appearances at the European Championship. They stunned the Netherlands 2-0 in the last-16 round of the previous Euro edition before suffering elimination in a 1-2 loss to Denmark in the quarter-final.
Regardless of their current state, nobody can underestimate the Czechs with such a reputable history. Looking at their roster, only a couple of names stand out, Patrick Schick and Tomas Soucek. This duo can hardly take the team to another deep run but this group allows the Czechs to dream big.
They’ve shared the top of the section in the qualifying group, alongside Albania. We haven’t enjoyed spectacular affairs from the Czechs during the process, but the team currently led by Ivan Hasek did enough to beat the likes of Poland in third place.
The rock-solid defence is the team’s main strength. Czechia allowed only six goals in eight Euro qualifiers. They play in a well-known 4-2-3-1 formation with Schick occupying the lone-striker spot.
Prediction: Czechia could use their pedigree to advance from this group but they lack quality for greater achievements on German soil.
A 4-2 win on penalties over Greece in the playoff final secured Georgia their inaugural appearance at an international tournament. The debutants took the most from the playoffs and the Nations League Path D to join the continent’s elite.
It is hard to expect miracles from this squad knowing that Georgia possess only two players from the top-five European leagues. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is by far the team’s biggest star. However, he has endured a subpar campaign with Napoli in the previous Serie A term. Kvaratshkelia is miles away from the form he had last year when he guided the Partinopei to the domestic crown.
Georgia ended the regular qualifying campaign in fourth place in Group A. They ended the competition with two wins, two draws, and four defeats in the section with Spain, Scotland, Norway, and Cyprus.
Prediction: Despite a favourable draw in the group stage, Georgia just don’t have the quality to stay competitive at this level. Any point the debutants collect in Germany would be golden for Willy Sagnol’s men.
Portugal vs. Turkey:
Turkey should give Portugal the toughest challenge in this group. A win for “The European Brazilians” would confirm their big ambitions in this tournament.
Turkey vs. Czechia:
The tension will be sky-high for the Matchday No. 3 clash between the main rivals for the top-two finish. You do not want to miss this “winner-takes-all” match on the final day of the group stage.
Any group with Cristiano Ronaldo in it has to be interesting. Turkey and Czechia will battle it out for the second place while debutants from Georgia will add a special flavor to the mix. A highly entertaining Group F will offer some fantastic games on German soil.
Also Read
Euro 2024 Group A Preview and Predictions
Euro 2024 Group B Preview and Predictions
Euro 2024 Group C Preview and Predictions
