Our Euro 2024 Fantasy team previews continue with this look at Portugal.
The Portuguese are one of the favourites to go all the way in Germany, having won every fixture in qualifying.
In these country-by-country guides, we’ll be looking at the best players from each nation, taking a stab at predicted line-ups, reviewing the road to Germany and more.
To do this, we’ll be calling on the help of correspondents from each country. Here, we enlist the services of Fantasy Football Scout user joaomiranda2211 (aka @acertainjoao on X).
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All prices given are from the official Fantasy Euro 2024 game.
THE ROAD TO QUALIFICATION
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 2 | +34 | 30 |
| 2 | Slovakia | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 8 | +9 | 22 |
| 3 | Luxembourg | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 19 | -6 | 17 |
| 4 | Iceland | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 16 | +1 | 10 |
| 5 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 20 | -11 | 9 |
| 6 | Liechtenstein | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 28 | -27 | 0 |
Portugal finished Euro 2024 qualifying with a perfect record after winning all 10 of their games.
They scored the most (36) and conceded the least (two) overall. They also kept nine clean sheets, with only Slovakia providing much of a test.
Admittedly, they were handed a very favourable draw (21 of their goals came against Luxembourg and Liechtenstein). Still, things couldn’t have gone much better for Roberto Martinez, who replaced Fernando Santos in the dugout following a poor World Cup 2022.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo (€10.0m) was the second-highest scorer in qualifying, with only Romelu Lukaku (€9.0m) scoring more than his 10.
The qualifiers were a happy hunting ground for Bruno Fernandes (€9.0m), too, who racked up six goals and seven assists.
Given their wealth of attacking options, plus the fact they were the only nation to finish qualifying with a 100% record, Portugal are clearly one of the teams to beat in Germany and have high hopes of winning the European Championship, just as they did eight years ago.
QUALIFICATION IN NUMBERS
- Most starts: Bruno Fernandes (10), Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo (9)
- Most goals: Cristiano Ronaldo (10), Bruno Fernandes (6)
- Most assists: Bruno Fernandes (7), Bernardo Silva (4)
- Clean sheets: 9 from 10
UNDERLYING STATS
RECORD SINCE QUALIFYING
| Date | Competition | Opposition | Result | Score | Goalscorers | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 March | Friendly | Sweden (h) | W | 5-2 | Leao, Nunes, Fernandes, Bruma, Ramos | Bernardo x2, Semedo x2, Fernandes |
| 26 March | Friendly | Slovenia (a) | L | 0-2 | ||
| 4 June | Friendly | Finland (h) | W | 4-2 | Dias, Jota, Fernandes x2 | Vitinha, Conceicao x3 |
Portugal thrashed Sweden 5-2 in March, but their 11-game winning streak under Roberto Martinez came to an end just a few days later, after a surprise 2-0 defeat in Slovenia.
Martinez made wholesale changes for the clash – lining up with a back three – and Portugal were unable to impose themselves, leaving Ronaldo and co fuming.
Joao Felix (€8.5m) hit the post but that was as close as the Selecao came to scoring as they ended with just two shots on target.
Ronaldo was rested for Tuesday’s clash against Finland, but that didn’t stop Portugal, who raced into a 3-0 lead inside 56 minutes.
Fernandes was only introduced at half-time but scored twice, following first-half goals from Ruben Dias (€6.0m) and Diogo Jota (€8.5m).
However, a double from Teemu Pukki reduced the deficit to one goal, as the Portuguese backline became complacent.
MOST RECENT INTERNATIONAL LINE-UPS
04/06/2024 – Finland (h)
(4-3-3): Sa; Cancelo, Silva (Pereira 74), Dias (Inacio 46), Mendes (Dalot 46); Palhinha (Fernandes 46), J Neves, Vitinha; Conceicao, Leao (Neto 46), Jota (Ramos 46)
UPCOMING FIXTURES
| Date | Competition | Opposition |
|---|---|---|
| 8 June | Friendly | Croatia (h) |
| 11 June | Friendly | Republic of Ireland (h) |
GROUP FIXTURES
- 18 June: Czech Republic
- 22 June: Turkey
- 26 June: Georgia
HOW FAR WILL THEY GET?
The rest of this article below is completely free to read but requires a Fantasy Football Scout user account for access – you can get yours at no cost here
Fantasy Football Scout’s exclusive Premium Membership offer is still available – but get it while you can, as it will soon expire!
Our special pre-season package is a 40% discount to our full-price Premium Membership, so for only £3.25 per month (billed annually), you get access to our unique Premium Members Area and the official Premier League data in it.
Plus, there will be all the usual benefits like team reveals, strategy tips and more.
This offer will soon cease, so sign up while you can!
1 month, 19 days agoPortugal's biggest weakness is that Martinez doesn't have the stones to drop Ronaldo. Plain to see his legs were gone at United and at the last World Cup Portugal when they were way better when he wasn't in the XI. Filling his boots in qualifying against Luxembourg, Bosnia and Liechtenstein is meaningless.