Türkiye's Crescent-Stars will be on the hot seat again on Saturday as they face a formidable force in the face of Portugal, with both teams aiming to top Group F and advance to the Euro 2024 last 16.
Both teams secured maximum points on matchday one, with current group leaders Türkiye defeating tournament newcomers Georgia 3-1, while Portugal staged a 2-1 comeback win against the Czech Republic.
Vincenzo Montella's men entered Euro 2024 after a five-game winless streak and losing their opener in each of the last five European Championships, but they turned their fortunes around with a stylish victory over Georgia on Monday.
After Georgia's Georges Mikautadze equalized Mert Müldür's superb opener in the first half, Real Madrid's rising star Arda Güler shone with a memorable 65th-minute strike, becoming the fifth-youngest scorer in Euros history (19 years, 114 days) and the first teenager to score on his Euros debut since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2004.
Kerem Aktürkoğlu sealed the win for Türkiye with a stoppage-time goal, giving head coach Montella a joyful 50th birthday celebration.
Despite the victory, Montella emphasized the need for improved accuracy in front of goal, noting that Türkiye "won't always be able to afford to miss so many" chances, as they registered just eight of their 22 shots on target.
Ranked 40th by FIFA, the Crescent-Stars have lost only two of their last 15 competitive games (W10 D3) and can secure a spot in the last 16 with a win on Saturday.
However, they have never beaten Portugal at the European Championship, failing to score in all three encounters.
After cruising through Euro 2024 qualifying with a perfect 10-0 record, Portugal faced a tough challenge in their Group F opener on Monday when the Czech Republic took a surprise lead midway through the second half.
Lukas Provod curled a superb long-range strike in off the far post in the 62nd minute, but Czechia's lead lasted only seven minutes. Goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek could only parry Nuno Mendes's header against Robin Hranac, resulting in an own goal.
Portugal secured all three points with a dramatic 92nd-minute winner from substitute Francisco Conceicao, who scored just three minutes after making his competitive debut, echoing his father Sergio Conceicao's hat trick against Germany at Euro 2000.
In this memorable victory, both Ronaldo and Pepe broke European Championship records. Manager Roberto Martinez praised his team's "deserved" win and their strong response after falling behind in a "tough" opening match against Czechia.
Level on points with Türkiye at the top of Group F, Portugal have kept only one clean sheet in their last six international matches, raising slight concerns for Martinez.
However, A Selecao should be confident of success on Saturday, having won their last six competitive meetings with Türkiye, scoring at least twice in four of those encounters.
Türkiye made history by becoming only the second team in European Championship history to start two teenagers, Güler and fellow 19-year-old Kenan Yıldız, and both are expected to retain their spots on the flanks against Portugal.
Captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu will likely play a deeper midfield role alongside Kaan Ayhan, though Montella might replace Ayhan with either Borussia Dortmund's Salih Özcan or West Bromwich Albion's Okay Yokuşlu.
While Zeki Çelik and Merih Demiral are vying for spots in defense, the back four of Müldür, Samet Akaydın, Abdülkerim Bardakçi, and Ferdi Kadioğlu may remain unchanged. Feyenoord's Orkun Kokcu is also likely to keep his place in the No. 10 role over Lille's Yusuf Yazıcı.
For Portugal, Martinez might stick with the 3-4-3 formation used against the Czech Republic, positioning Nuno Mendes on the left side of a back three with Pepe and Ruben Dias, while Diogo Dalot and Joao Cancelo take on wing-back roles.
Vitinha, who delivered a man-of-the-match performance last time, is expected to start in midfield alongside Bruno Fernandes, leaving Joao Palhinha, Joao Neves, and Ruben Neves on the bench.
At 39, Ronaldo aims to become the oldest goalscorer in European Championship history this weekend and will lead the attack, flanked by Bernardo Silva on the right and Rafael Leao on the left.
