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).
A recent addition to these team previews is a Premium Members section detailing the official Opta data from Euro ’24 qualification. This data has just arrived in our Members Area, so sign up today to gain access to the all-important stats you need for this summer’s Euro Fantasy game.
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
![Fantasy Euro 2024 complete guide: Best players, squads, team reveals + more](https://cdn.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image-145.png)
- 18 June: Czech Republic
- 22 June: Turkey
- 26 June: Georgia
HOW FAR WILL THEY GET?
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