Portugal vs Croatia Preview

Portugal and Croatia will finalise preparations for the 2024 European Championship this Saturday when they meet for a friendly game at the Estádio Nacional do Jamor in Lisbon.

Roberto Martinez’s side are one of the top teams to watch out for at the showpiece event in Germany. Under the Spaniard’s tutelage, Portugal have hit new heights, qualifying for Euro 2024 with a 100% winning record.

Although Martinez has tasted only one defeat (W12) since becoming the Seleção boss, the manager will know performances have to get better if his side are to win a second European Championship crown. The 2016 winners have had a little wobble of late, surviving a scare to beat Finland 4-2 in their warm-up fixture on Tuesday after losing 2-0 to Slovenia in March.

The coach will be hoping for an improvement against opponents Croatia. There are particular concerns to iron out in defence given Portugal have conceded exactly twice in three successive outings (W2, L1), but their record in friendlies on home soil is outstanding, going unbeaten since a defeat to the Netherlands in 2018 (W7, D3).

Meanwhile, Croatia will be desperate to enter the tournament in Germany on a winning note. The Blazers are already in good form having won each of their last five internationals, including comfortably beating North Macedonia 3-0 on Monday.

Zlatko Dalić’s side should have plenty of belief that they can do well at Euro 2024. They traditionally punch above their weight on the international stage, reaching the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2023 UEFA Nations League finals. However, they have not performed to quite such a level at previous UEFA European Championships, suffering round-of-16 eliminations at successive tournaments and with their only quarter-final appearance coming in 2008.