Both teams come into the game on the back of two wins, and while Portugal's individual class would normally see them through, at a European tournament anything can happen. The Seleccao's defensive frailties were exposed against Denmark, and the Czech Republic's collective spirit could see them hold on and force the contest into penalties. (Goal)
Czech team manager Vladimir Smicer has confirmed that captain Tomas Rosicky will not start but may play a part later in the match. The influential playmaker, who missed his side's final Group A match against Poland, has been having intensive treatment since injuring his Achilles tendon in the second group game against Greece. Daniel Kolar is once again set to step in. Otherwise, Czech boss Michal Bilek should have a full complement of players from which to pick his team.
Michal Bilek: "We know Portugal have dangerous players in midfield and up front, such as Nani, Helder Postiga and [Cristiano] Ronaldo. We have that in mind, and we'll adjust our tactics to be more defensive. We can't play like we did against Russia. We gave them space and they punished us. Nani and Ronaldo will punish us if we do the same thing again, and we don't want to repeat the first match."
Portugal boss Paulo Bento is likely to persist with the same starting XI he fielded in all three group matches and in the qualification play-offs. That means Helder Postiga playing up front with Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani either side of him, with Nelson Oliveira and Silvestre Varela both attacking options from the bench.
Paulo Bento: "I think a team that played against Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands like we did will not have any problems with their mental recovery. The physical recovery has been good too. I will try to transform this individual happiness [from his recent 43rd birthday] into a collective happiness. But my greatest wish is that this happiness will be for all the Portuguese people after the game tomorrow." (Yahoo)
