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Match time and venue:
On June 25 at 22:00, at the "Stade Bollaert-Delelis” stadium. The match will be broadcast live on LRT channel.
Team paths in the tournament:
The Croatian team defeated Turkey 1-0, drew 2-2 with the Czechs, and beat Spain 2-1, thus winning the first place in Group D.
For Portugal, the tournament did not go as well - they drew three times and advanced to the next stage as one of the four best third-placed teams in the group. Against Iceland, Portugal ended the match 1-1, against Austria 0-0, and against Hungary 3-3.
News from team camps:
Having missed the match against Spain, Luka Modric returns to action for the Croatian team. The condition of another injured player, Mario Mandzukic, is still unclear, so there is a possibility that he may miss this match as well.
There is uncertainty in the Portuguese team regarding Raphael Guerreiro's chances of appearing in the starting lineup, and if he is forced to miss this match, he would be replaced by Eliseu.
Coaches' comments:
Ante Cacic (Croatia): "This will be a decisive match. We will play in the knockout stages, where only one of the two teams will advance to the next stage. The other team, no matter how good they may be, will be sent home.
We will face a team with many individually strong players. Perhaps they did not collect many points in the group stage, but they played really well. If we look at those matches, we would see that they were a dominant team and created more opportunities than their opponents.
When a team plays the way we do, everyone is praised, including the coach. Coaches influence both good and bad results. Unfortunately, their contribution is usually noticeable when the results are poor. That's why I accept all the compliments that I receive now.
I am not satisfied with the result, just like my team. We want to stay in this tournament as long as possible. After a long time, we finally have that atmosphere and unity in Croatia again. Everyone watches the matches and supports us."
Fernando Santos (Portugal): "Statistics mean nothing - today two strong teams will meet. My goal is to try to win this match. Croatia, just like us, has a quality team. These will be the matches where both teams will have eleven good players each and try to advance. These will be great matches, and I have no doubt about it. I think we can defeat Croatia.
These will be completely different matches from the ones we played. Austria played well against us, and many thought we would easily beat Iceland, but we failed. This time we will play completely different matches.
Croatia had a little more time to rest. Of course, I would like to have more time, but I am sure the Croatian coach would also want the same. However, we are here and ready for the match, and crying over spilt milk is pointless now."
Players to look out for:
Croatia: Ivan Perisic
The opponents' attention at this championship is focused on stopping Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic in Croatia's midfield, and so far Ivan Perisic has made great use of this. The "Inter" player stood out in the group stage with two goals and an assist, but despite that, he should not be the player the opponents focus their defense on. Having such high-quality teammates, Perisic has enough freedom, and so far, he has used this freedom to help Croatia win the group stage matches. To continue this successful journey with the national team, the Croatian will have to be useful in the match against Portugal.
Portugal: Joao Moutinho
The defensive line of the Portuguese national team will face the toughest challenge in this championship. Led by Rakitic and Modric, Croatia's midfield is arguably the best in the tournament, and Perisic, Modric, and Rakitic scored four out of five of their team's goals in the group stage matches. Moutinho and the other Portuguese defenders will not have time to rest in this match - they will not only have to find ways to avoid conceding in the middle of the field, giving more chances to attacking players, but also help their team's defense against Croatia's dangerous and productive midfield.
Predicted lineups:
Croatia: Subasic; Srna, Corluka, Vida, Strinic; Modric, Badelj; Brozovic, Rakitic, Perisic; Mandzukic.
Portugal: Rui Patricio; Vieirinha, Carvalho, Pepe, Guerreiro; William Carvalho, Joao Moutinho, Andre Gomes, Joao Mario; Nani, Ronaldo.
What the experts predict:
Reymundo Tomayo ("Yibada"): "Croatia played consistently in the first stage and won their group, while Portugal still doesn't find their game, as they did not win any matches in the three games. However, Ronaldo scored two goals in the last match, and his form could rise even higher in the knockout stages, which should help his team progress. Croatia 1 - 2 Portugal."
Paul Merson ("Sky Sports"): "It's very difficult to predict the winner in this match. Everyone says that Croatia is the favorite, but I think with Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese team is capable of winning. I don't think they are very strong in defense, but with this player, they are very strong in attack, and that might be enough. Croatia 2 - 3 Portugal."
Gianni Verschueren ("Bleacher Report"): "Although Cristiano Ronaldo will undoubtedly be the best player on the field, Croatia has a more balanced team. If Ronaldo can be the leader who drives the team forward, the Portuguese team will have its chance, but if not - Croatia should advance as the winners of Group D. Croatia 2 - 1 Portugal."
Interesting facts:
Portugal has won all three of their previous matches against Croatia, scoring six goals and conceding just one.
The only meeting of these two teams in the final stage, at the 1996 European Championships, ended in a resounding 3-0 victory for the Portuguese national team.
Croatia has not lost in the last ten matches in a row (8 wins, 2 draws) - the longest such streak among all teams competing in the tournament.
This is the second time Croatia has won their group in the European Championships. They achieved the same feat in 2008, but in that tournament, they were eliminated after the quarterfinals.
Croatia has scored only one goal in just one of their last 12 matches in the European Championships.
Portugal has not lost in the last seven official matches in a row (7 wins, 3 draws). All wins in this series were achieved with a one-goal margin.
75% of all goals conceded by Portugal in this championship have been scored from outside the penalty area.
In the last seven goals scored by Portugal in the European Championships, Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo have each scored two.
For Portugal's player Nani, this match will be his 100th appearance for his national team.
All Saturday matches:
16:00 Switzerland - Poland
19:00 Wales - Northern Ireland
22:00 Croatia - Portugal
