Belgium (BEL) and Portugal (POR) face off in a mouth-watering clash in the Euro 2020 round of 16. Both teams, who scored seven goals in the group stage, kicked off their campaign with three points. Belgium went on to win their next two games, while the defending champions suffered a defeat against Germany and drew with France in their last game.
Roberto Martinez, Belgium head coach, has a strong squad at his disposal. He rested the two key defenders – Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen – against Finland and saw Eden Hazard complete 90 minutes on Tuesday. Belgium will be counting on Kevin De Bruyne’s contributions as the Manchester City midfielder made the difference in the comeback win over Denmark. He came on as a substitute in the second half and grabbed an assist and the winner. Thorgan Hazard, who scored a goal against Denmark, could return to the playing eleven after missing the last game.
Cristiano Ronaldo will be keen to continue his impressive goalscoring form in the tournament and against Belgium too. He has netted three goals in two appearances against the Red Devils. Bernardo Silva and Diogo Jota will be keen to up their game after a tough outing against France. But the biggest concern for Portugal boss Fernando Santos will be the back four, which has conceded six goals in the last two games. With Belgium having world-class attacking players in their ranks, the Pepe-led backline cannot afford to make mistakes.
Head-to-Head
Played: 18
BEL won:5
POR won: 6
Drawn: 7
Top Five Fantasy Points scorers (Euro 2020 Group Stage)
BEL: R Lukaku (32.5 pts), K De Bruyne (30.5 pts), T Meunier (30 pts), D Boyata (22.5 pts), T Courtois (21 pts)
POR: C Ronaldo (56.5 pts), R Guerreiro (24 pts), D Jota (23.5 pts), R Dias (17 pts), N Semedo (16.5 pts)
Euro 2020 Stats
Top Goalscorer: BEL – R Lukaku (3 goals); POR – C Ronaldo (5 goals)
Most Assists: BEL – K De Bruyne (2 assists); POR – R Silva (2 assists)
Most Passes Completed: BEL – D Boyata (175 passes); POR – R Dias (235 passes)
Most Successful Tackles: BEL – T Meunier, L Dendoncker, D Mertens, J Doku (2 tackles); POR – N Semedo (3 tackles)
Shots Saved: BEL – T Courtois (7 saves); POR – R Patricio (11 saves)
Injuries/Suspensions
BEL: none
POR: D Pereira (doubtful)
Playing 11
BEL (possible): T Courtois; T Alderweireld, T Vermaelen, J Vertonghen; T Meunier, K De Bruyne, A Witsel, T Hazard; Y Carrasco, R Lukaku, E Hazard
POR (possible): R Patricio; N Semedo, R Dias, Pepe, R Guerreiro; J Palhinha, R Sanches, J Moutinho; B M Silva, C Ronaldo, D Jota
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Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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