The Portugal will face Slovakia on the seventh matchday of the 2024 UEFA Euro qualifiers
Portugal will host Slovakia on Friday evening, knowing that a win will guarantee them a place in next summer’s European Championship finals with three games to spare.
Roberto Martinez’s side leads Group J with 18 points after a strong start to the season, while Slovakia is second with 13 points from their first six games.
Portugal has not skipped a beat in Group J, winning six out of six games to sit comfortably atop the table with 18 points, five ahead of second-placed Slovakia and eight ahead of third-placed Luxembourg in the same amount of games.
It’s straightforward for Martinez’s team; a win would secure their position at Euro 2024 with three games remaining, while a draw would suffice if Luxembourg fails to overcome Iceland, who also plays on Friday.
Slovakia is unbeaten since their dramatic 1-0 loss to Morocco in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals, and they look well-placed to be a strong challenger for next summer’s European Championship, with the national team hoping to emulate their 2016 tournament glory.
Portugal has never lost against Slovakia, winning four of the last five meetings, including a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture last month, with Bruno Fernandes scoring the only goal.
Slovakia is well-placed in Group J, ranking second on 13 points with a record of four victories, one tie, and one defeat, and they have only conceded twice.
The Falcons have competed in three major competitions, including the World Cup in 2010, as well as the European Championships in 2016 and 2020.
Slovakia advanced to the last-16 stage of Euro 2016 but was eliminated in the group stage of the 2020 competition, and they failed to qualify for the Qatar World Cup in 2022.
Match Details
Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023
Time: 12:15 AM IST
Location: Estádio do Dragão
TV: Sony Ten Network (India)
Live Stream: Sony LIV, Jio TV (India)
Lineup Prediction
Portugal possible starting lineup: D. Costa; Dalot, A. Silva, Dias, Cancelo; Vitinha, Palhinha, Fernandes; B. Silva, Ronaldo, Jota
Slovakia possible starting lineup: Dubravka; Tomic, Gyomber, Skriniar, Hancko; Duda, Lobotka, Benes; Mak, Bozenik, Haraslin
Dream11
Goalkeeper – D. Costa
Defenders – Cancelo, Dias, Skriniar, Gyomber
Midfielders – Fernandes, B. Silvam, Duda
Attackers – Ronaldo, Jota, Bozenik
