EURO 2024 match schedule today: Will Ronaldo play from the start, waiting for the unknown Georgia

All eyes will be on Leipzig to watch Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal take on the Czech Republic in Group D of EURO 2024, which kicks off at 2 a.m. on June 19. Also in this group, Georgia will have their first match at a major tournament when they face Türkiye.

Georgia Mystery

Türkiye will play Georgia in the opening match of Group F of EURO 2024 at 11pm on June 18. This is considered a very important match for both teams in the race for tickets to the next round because Group F also includes Portugal and the Czech Republic.

Georgia makes its first major tournament appearance

AFP

Türkiye's best ever performance at the EURO was in 2008, when they reached the semi-finals, but were eliminated in the group stages of the 2016 and 2020 EUROs. However, the Crescent-Stars (as the Turkish team is known) will be hoping to secure a place in the last 16 this time around, having been favourites against Georgia in the first round of Group F. Vincenzo Montella's side will be coming into the tournament on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Poland and have failed to win in their last five games (3 L2 D2). They will be meeting Georgia for the sixth time and have won three of their previous five, most recently a 3-1 victory when the two sides met in a friendly in May 2012. Georgia, meanwhile, will be playing at a major tournament for the first time in their history and it will be interesting to see how they fare this summer. Willy Sagnol's side beat Greece on penalties in the play-offs to book their place in Germany, and have played just one game since that historic night, beating Montenegro 3-1 in a friendly earlier this month. Whether the lack of preparation will affect Georgia remains to be seen, but the group schedule could work in their favour, with Portugal set to play in their final game. Roberto Martinez's side could already have secured their place in the knockout stages by then, so they could rest key players. Georgia's standout player is 23-year-old Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who plays for Napoli and has 15 goals in 30 appearances for the national team. However, Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, Slovan Bratislava's Guram Kashia and Watford's Giorgi Chakvetadze are also notable inclusions. Therefore, Georgia has enough talent to cause a surprise at EURO 2024.

Audience anxiously waiting for CR7 to debut

One of the championship candidates, Portugal, will play against the Czech Republic in Leipzig in Group F at 2:00 a.m. on June 19. Portugal is considered one of the strong teams in Germany, while the Czech Republic will try to overcome Türkiye and Georgia to win the remaining ticket.

Ronaldo (right) and Portugal are considered the strongest in Group F.

AFP

Portugal won the 2016 European Championship and have reached the semi-finals of the tournament three more times, but were eliminated in the round of 16 at Euro 2020. The Iberian side then reached the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup. There have been many positive signs under the Spaniard since Roberto Martinez took charge shortly after the tournament. France, England and Germany are considered the three favourites to win Euro 2024, but Portugal are also expected to be among the favourites thanks to the talent and experience of their star-studded squad. The Selecao das Quinas will go into their Group F opener following a 3-0 friendly win over Ireland, with superstar Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice. Portugal have actually lost two of their last four games, but they are strong contenders for the top spot in Group F. Martinez's side will face Türkiye in their second game, before finishing the group stage against Georgia.

EURO 2024 could be Ronaldo's last major tournament. Spectators are anxiously waiting for him to play in the opening match.

AFP

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic will come into this match following a 2-1 win over North Macedonia in their Euro 2024 pre-tournament warm-up earlier this month. Ivan Hasek's side are on a five-match winning run in all competitions. Following a Euro 2024 qualifying win over Moldova last November, the Czechs have since beaten Norway, Armenia, Malta and North Macedonia in friendlies. The Czechs were runners-up at EURO 1996, reached the semi-finals in 2004 and reached the quarter-finals in two of the last three tournaments. The Czechs are likely to impress in this tournament after a decent qualifying campaign, picking up 15 points from eight games. The Czechs have lost four of their last five games against Portugal, including a 4-0 defeat when the two sides met in the UEFA Nations League in September 2022.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lich-thi-dau-euro-2024-hom-nay-ronaldo-chao-san-cho-doi-an-so-georgia-185240618070537675.htm