Win-or-Go-Home Clash for Georgia vs. Portugal; Czech Republic Battles Turkey for Knockout Spot

Georgia will take on Portugal at the Veltins-Arena in their last group-stage match of UEFA Euro 2024 on Wednesday, June 26. Portugal, the 2016 champions, have already secured their spot in the knockout rounds by leading Group F. For Georgia, this game is crucial; they need a win to keep their knockout hopes alive. They started with a 3-1 loss to Turkey but bounced back with a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic, thanks to Georges Mikautadze, who scored in both matches.

On the other hand, Portugal narrowly defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 and then had an impressive 3-0 win over Turkey. An own goal helped them again, with Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes also finding the back of the net. Cristiano Ronaldo, who holds the record for the most goals in European Championship history, has yet to score in this tournament. However, he did assist Fernandes, showcasing his unselfish play. With this assist, Ronaldo tied with Czech Republic legend Karel Poborsky for most assists at the Euros, with eight.

When these teams last met in a friendly in 2008, Portugal won 2-0 with both Ronaldo and Pepe in the starting lineup. Georgia has had a promising European Championship debut, scoring in each of their first two games. Portugal has the second-best attack at Euro 2024, with five goals, just three behind hosts Germany. They also kept their first clean sheet in a European Championship match in five games last week.

Looking at the upcoming match, Georgia’s manager Willy Sagnol will likely stick to the lineup that led to their historic draw. Since Portugal has already won the group, manager Roberto Martinez is expected to make a few changes to rest key players. However, Rafael Leao will miss the match due to suspension after receiving his second yellow card in the competition.

Another final round that you should anticipate in this group-stage match is the Czech Republic and Georgia. Only two points separate them in Group F, so both teams have a lot on the line as they look to secure a place in the knockout stages. The Czech Republic managed to pull off a 1-1 draw against Georgia on Saturday after coming back from behind. Georges Mikautadze scored a penalty for Georgia, but Patrik Schick equalized in the second half. 

This draw was crucial for the Czech Republic since they started the campaign with a narrow 2-1 loss to Portugal. Now, tied on one point with Georgia, they need to win on Wednesday to avoid another early exit like in 2016. On the other side, Turkey’s hopes of topping Group F were dashed after a 3-0 loss to Portugal. Goals from Bernardo Silva, and Bruno Fernandes, and an own goal by Samet Akaydin ensured Portugal’s dominance. 

Earlier, Turkey had started strong with a 3-1 win over Georgia, thanks to goals from Mert Müldür, Arda Guler, and Kerem Aktürkoğlu. Despite the setback, Turkey still has a good chance to make it to the knockout stage and will be confident against a Czech team they’ve beaten in their last three meetings.

The match is really important to the Czech Republic, as they started the campaign with a narrow 2-1 loss to Portugal. In their second outing, they were held to a draw against Georgia, and they were tied with the Crusaders and must win to avoid an early exit as happened in 2016. 

Their hopes of topping Group F were crushed by a 3-0 defeat from Portugal, who scored through Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes, and an own goal by Samet Akaydin. 

It took place after Turkey had kicked off the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Georgia thanks to goals from Mert Müldür, Arda Guler and Kerem Aktürkoğlu. Given that, they are likely to feel more than confident facing a Czech team they won all three previous meetings with.