Portugal vs Czechia EURO 2024 Group F Matchday 1 preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, possible line-ups

Portugal and Czechia meet in their first match of UEFA EURO 2024 in Group F on Tuesday 18 June.

Where to watch Portugal vs Czechia on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA EURO 2024 broadcast partner(s) here.

What do you need to know?

Portugal and Czechia have got used to meeting at EURO final tournaments; this will be their fourth such encounter since 1996, with the Czechs winning the first 1-0 at EURO '96 and Portugal prevailing in the other two – 3-1 in 2008 and 1-0 in 2012. Recent tussles would suggest another success for Roberto Martínez's side given that Portugal have won the last four meetings, keeping clean sheets in the last three.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored against the Czechs at EUROs 2008 and 2012, and will make another piece of history if he takes to the field in Leipzig – as the first player to feature at six EUROs. However, Czechia will not be purely focused on muzzling the world's top international goalscorer. Ivan Hašek's team play attacking football, as witnessed by forward Patrik Schick finishing as five-goal joint leading scorer (alongside Ronaldo) at EURO 2020.

Possible line-ups

Portugal: Diogo Costa; Cancelo, Pepe, Rúben Dias, Nuno Mendes; Palhinha, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes; Rafael Leão, Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva

Czechia: Staněk; Holeš, Hranáč, Krejčí; Coufal, Souček, Provod, Barák, David Jurásek; Kuchta, Schick

Form guide

Portugal:
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WLWLWW

Czechia:
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WWWWWD

Expert predictions

Carlos Machado, Portugal reporter

It will be a confident Portugal that kicks off against Czechia in Leipzig. With all 26 players fit, they are keen to show that they are a strong contender to go all the way in this competition, such is the quality that Roberto Martínez has at his command: strength and plenty of depth. The mood in the camp is that of a side with great faith in themselves but they are also keen to perform to their ability and justify their pre-match billing.

Ondřej Zlámal, Czechia reporter

To win this game, the Czechs will need to put in a performance for the ages: great teamwork, tight defending and probably a few solid saves from the goalkeeper. The main battle may be in midfield, where Portugal will seek to gain control and push Hašek's charges back towards their own goal, with chances for Ronaldo and Rafael Leão inevitably following. Czechia have quality players, though, so expect them to pile forward in numbers when opportunity knocks.

What the coaches say

Roberto Martínez, Portugal coach: "I think Czechia's style is very clear. It's about taking risks, pressing high, with players who want to score goals. They play to win and it will be a fantastic game for neutral fans. Qualifying showed that our group has a very good attitude and strong commitment. We won ten games, but now it's the tournament. There are three games in this group and we have to demonstrate our best level here."

Ivan Hašek, Czechia coach: "The Portuguese are players who feature for the best clubs in the world, they are stars and they go into this match as the favourites, but we want to win. We know about Cristiano Ronaldo, but I want us to say after the game not that we played against him, but that we beat him. Portugal have great quality both up front and at the back. We will not underestimate them, we know about their qualities, but we also want to focus on our team."