Cristiano Ronaldo and Euro 2016 champions Portugal will hope to bounce back from their slip-up to finish the group stage and regroup for Monday’s round of 16 match against Slovenia in Frankfurt.
With top spot in Group F already secured, Portugal fell to Georgia 2-0 to wrap up the tie, keeping them out of the running from a confidence perspective heading into the knockout phase. However, from a competitive standpoint, the defeat mattered little and now the truly meaningful matches have arrived.
Ronaldo is yet to score a goal at Euro 2024, but he has one on his way to establishing himself as the all-time leading scorer in Euro history. His selfless play has garnered praise, but Portugal will also need him to finish off chances if they are to progress to the latter stages of the competition.
Meanwhile, 57th-ranked Slovenia advanced after three consecutive draws in the group stage, finishing tied with Denmark, Serbia and England. In those three games, she was solid defensively, crushing her higher-ranked opponents and conceding just two goals in total and not allowing more than 1.7 expected goals in any of those games.
Portugal vs Slovenia prediction, odds
- Money Line Slant: Portugal (-275)
- Score prediction: Portugal 2-0 Slovenia
Portugal played poorly against Georgia, but made multiple changes to their lineup with their fate already sealed and still generated a solid amount of attacking pressure.
On the other hand, they conceded only four “big chances” in the three games, and only three if you eliminate the penalty won by Georgia, which is a “chance” generated in some artificial way.
Slovenia will hold their own and prevent Portugal from unleashing their fury, but it will be a one-way game that should lead to a relatively easy result for Ronaldo and company.
