Clement Pedron, Media365 Posted on Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 11:45 p.m.
Two days before their round of 16 match against Slovenia (9pm), Portugal moves into the role of favorites despite its defeat in the third group stage match against Georgia. Seleção defensive midfielder João Balenha expressed his conviction in his country's ability to lift the cup.
Joao Balenha confidently introduced himself to the press on Saturday, two days before Portugal's round of 16 match against Slovenia (9pm kick-off). Thus the defensive midfielder of the Seleção, who played twice for forty-five minutes in the last two matches, mentioned the favorites in this competition in which, moreover, Italy is no longer in its ranks. The Fulham player did not use language when formulating his response. Palinha said: “We were four players and the coach asked us the question (Which team is the strongest in the Euros?), which always leads to disagreements.” If you ask me personally, I see two teams, Spain, which has always been very strong, and Austria, which has proven to be a big surprise in the Euros. They deserve a lot of credit for qualifying to the next round, because they are two very strong teams. Germany is also at a very good level. I think that after us they are probably the strongest. »
A possible meeting against France in the quarter-finals?
We don't know if he did it on purpose or not, but João Balenha did not mention France or England. The Blues could also be Portugal's next opponent if the two countries beat Belgium and Slovenia respectively. The Seleção, coached by Roberto Martinez, have not always risen to the occasion in this European tournament. The 2016 winner got off to a very slow start in this continental tournament with a short and lackluster victory over the Czech Republic, before showing more character against Türkiye (3-0). On 26 June, Portugal, with a modified starting eleven but still containing Cristiano Ronaldo, Antonio Silva or Joao Felix, lost to Georgia and this setback could have its impact on the dynamics of the Seleção. Response within two days.
