One of the big favorites with high championship odds at EURO 2024, Portugal will face a team that has advanced past the group stage of the tournament for the first time, Slovenia. The match, scheduled for July 2, seems like a “mismatch” but is sure to contain many surprises. Let’s analyze what Portugal and Slovenia can bring in the 90 minutes.

Expert Analysis of Portugal vs Slovenia

Having gone through a relatively impressive group stage and advancing as the winner of Group F, it doesn’t mean that Portugal doesn’t have issues to resolve. In fact, the historic stumble against Georgia in the final match could be a wake-up call for Roberto Martinez’s team before facing Slovenia, a very troublesome team in this year’s EURO.

It’s worth mentioning that the loss in the final match was because the European Selecao used mostly B-team players. The remaining 2 victories against the Czech Republic and Turkey provided the necessary confidence for both the offense and defense of Portugal. What’s not complete for the team from the Iberian Peninsula is the fact that captain Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score in the group stage of a major tournament for the first time.

Portugal vs Slovenia match analysis — Performance of Portugal vs Slovenia

This could be a catalyst for the strongest determination and pride of CR7 in the knockout stage to help Portugal advance to the quarterfinals. The obstacle for the team in maroon is not as simple as it seems. Slovenia, a team that defeated Portugal in a friendly match in March 2024.

As fate would have it, Slovenia is on a journey quite similar to Portugal’s at EURO 2024, where the European Selecao won the championship. The team from Northern Europe earned 3 points after 3 draws and also advanced as the 3rd-placed team with an excellent record. However, expecting Slovenia to reach the Henri Delaunay Cup is beyond their capabilities.

According to experts’ analysis and EURO betting guide, Slovenia with its discipline and solid defense will pose some difficulties for Portugal in the early stages of the match. However, with a team that has a diverse tactical approach and bright stars in the lineup, the squad of coach Roberto Martinez will know how to deal with this opponent.

Overview of Past Encounters between Portugal and Slovenia

Although they are in the same European region, Portugal and Slovenia have only met once in their history. It was a friendly match in March this year, where The Boys surprisingly defeated the European Selecao 2-0. However, Portugal’s mindset in the upcoming EURO knockout stage will be very different, and it’s likely they won’t let this accident happen for the second time.

Portugal vs Slovenia Odds

After resting key players in the final group stage match, Portugal has ensured the best lineup for the match against Slovenia. This also shows the caution of coach Roberto Martinez, even though his team is highly rated.

On the Slovenian side, they have an advantage in terms of rest days compared to Portugal, but their key players just had to “scrape and claw” to draw against the England national team to secure their place in the next round.Therefore, the issue of physical fitness will be a question mark for the students of coach Matjaz Kek.

Under goals: With the importance of the knock-out round, even a highly rated team like Portugal does not risk attacking too aggressively, only to suffer a counterattack as they did against the Czech Republic. The EURO 2016 champions are likely to utilize a solid defense before finishing off the opponent in specific moments.
Corner kicks: Against Portugal, Slovenia will naturally have to play as the underdog by deepening their defense, providing the basis for the European Selecao to create corner kicks. In addition, data from the Portugal vs. Slovenia betting site shows that all 3 group stage matches of Portugal had corner kick bets.

In addition to the 2 favored bets, fans should avoid betting on the Asian handicap. Despite being highly rated, the handicap ratio of 1/1.5 is too risky for a knockout round match.

Information about the strength of Portugal vs. Slovenia

Both teams have their strongest lineup.

Predicted lineup for Portugal vs. Slovenia match

Portugal (4-3-3): Diogo Costa, Dalot, Pepe, Ruben Dias, Cancelo, Palhinha, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, Jota, Ronaldo, Bernardo.
Slovenia (4-4-2): Oblak, Karnicnik, Drkusic, Bijol, Janza, Stojanovic, Cerin, Elsnik, Mlakar, Sporar, Sesko.

Portugal vs. Slovenia betting odds: 1-0