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Czech Republic fans were seen chanting the name of Lionel Messi as they entered the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. This is not the first time we are seeing this since Cristiano Ronaldo has experienced this in the past on the club level. Messi and Ronaldo are two of the greats of the game and their rivalry is considered to be one of the best in the history of the game.
In their Euro 2024 Group F opening later tonight, Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal takes on Patrik Schick's Czech Republic, the co-champions of the previous European Championship. Although this has been Portugal's most illustrious generation, UEFA Euro 2024 feels like a farewell tour for players like Ronaldo and 41-year-old centre back Pepe, who are nearing the conclusion of their careers.
In his ten competitive games as Portugal's manager, Roberto Martinez prevailed in every one of them. The group has abandoned the counter attacking strategy that Fernando Santos had them use. They now intend to press higher up the pitch to exert more pressure on their rivals. Portugal has scored more goals than almost any other team during qualification, demonstrating the disastrous impact of this.
After suffering a defeat at the hands of Croatia earlier in the month, the Portuguese won their last warm-up match. Portugal and the Czech Republic faced off during the 2022 UEFA Nations League. They prevailed 6-0 aggregate in both games.
Czech fans chanting "Messi" before the match against Portugal. https://t.co/x3wM0TGl8I
— Barça Worldwide (@BarcaWorldwide) June 18, 2024
Czech Republic set to derail Portugal’s party?
The goal for the Czech Republic is to advance past the group stages. They know that the first game will be their hardest test, although they will be anxious to avoid suffering a crushing loss on Tuesday.
The team led by Ivan Hasek enters this game in excellent shape. Despite defeating North Macedonia during their last preparation match, they performed less well in qualifying. They accumulated 15 points after eight games, good for second place in Group E. Portugal defeated the Czech Republic 4-0 the previous time they played.