Budapest: Defending champions Portugal will meet Hungary in their Euro 2020 opening game at the Ferenc Puskás Stadium in Budapest while World Champions France take on Germany in a mouthwatering fixture at the Allianz Arena in Munich in Group F on Tuesday.
In the first game of the evening, Portugal will look for nothing less than three points against home side Hungary as Fernando Santos’ men are drawn into the toughest group of the tournament. Despite being the defending champions and also the winner of the UEFA Nations League in 2019, the Portuguese side have been heavily undervalued by critics.
They have come a long way from being the side with blocks around their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo to be a complete squad full of multiple individual signs of brilliance. From Bernardo Silva to Ruben Dias to Bruno Fernandes and Joao Felix, Portugal have the firepower to even dominate games requiring the least from their skipper and are hopeful of retaining the title.
However, one still can’t deny the influence and quality that Ronaldo brings to the table. Despite being 36, the Juventus star still is in peak form needing just a single strike to become the outright top-scorer in the tournament while being just five goals away from equalling the all-time international scoring record of 109 held by Iran’s Ali Daei.
However, the bad news for Portugal is the absence of full-back Joao Cancelo due to for COVID-19. William Carvalho and Danilo will be two vital cogs in holding the midfield while youngster Felix is expected to operate behind Ronaldo as a no.10. It will be interesting to see how coach Santos uses his options to good effect.
For Hungary, they will hope for better all-round team performance just contain the star stacked side making the most of their home advantage.
On the other hand, Les Bleus will come into the tournament as the biggest contender hoping to claim the title they narrowly missed four years earlier. Coach Didier Deschamps has the best squad in terms of depth among others in the event. He also decided to recall Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema from a five-and-a-half-year international exile.
The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba, N’golo Kante and Raphael Varane will give the Germans a tough time to deal with. It will be interesting to how the French line up with all those options.
As for the Germans, they will be under pressure to perform in front of home support at Munich’s Allianz Arena under coach Joachim Loew, who will stand down as coach after the finals following 15 years in charge.
The side has underperformed in recent years since but they are a side known to deliver in tough conditions. Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane will boost the side’s attacking alongside the experienced Thomas Muller. However, the lack of options in the No.9 position might prove costly for them. Joshua Kimmich will play a vital role in the middle of the park ready to sprinkle passes everywhere on the pitch.
