"Will have too much experience and quality" - Chris Sutton makes prediction for Euro 2024 clash between Portugal and Georgia
Chris Sutton has predicted Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal to defeat Georgia 2-0 in their upcoming Euro 2024 clash. The two sides will face each other at the Veltins-Arena on Wednesday, June 26.
A Selecao have made a bright start to their Euro 2024 campaign, winning their first two matches in Group F. They edged past the Czech Republic with a 2-1 win, before impressively dispatching Turkiye 3-0 on Saturday.
They are at the top of their table with six points, three points above second-placed Turkiye, and have qualified for the Round of 16. On the other hand, Georgia are at the bottom of the table with just one point but will be aiming to cause an upset and seal a spot in the knockouts. This is the second-ever meeting between both nations, with Portugal pulling off a 2-0 win in a friendly back in 2008.
Sutton has backed Portugal to continue their momentum with a routine win, predicting (via BBC Sport):
"Portugal are through and have topped the group, which is the perfect scenario for them to rest players and keep using their squad, which looks supremely strong. They coasted past Turkey and although Spain are the most impressive team I have seen so far at this tournament, I feel like Portugal still have a lot of different gears to go through."
He added:
"Georgia are going to be fully committed in every game and they got their reward with a draw against the Czech Republic. I love the way they have played so far but Portugal will have too much experience and quality for them."
Sutton's Prediction: 0-2
"It is a concern" - Portugal boss Roberto Martinez gives his verdict on pitch invasions after fans rush field to greet Cristiano Ronaldo at Euro 2024
Roberto Martinez has conveyed his concerns about pitch invasions after multiple fans rushed onto the pitch to take selfies with Cristiano Ronaldo. This occurred during Portugal's 3-0 win against Turkiye in their Euro 2024 clash on Saturday, June 22.
A Selecao cruised to a dominant win with Bernardo Silva (21'), Samet Akaydin's own-goal (28'), and Bruno Fernandes (56') sealing the win. However, the game had to be stopped numerous times after fans came onto the field for a chance to meet Al-Nassr icon Cristiano Ronaldo.
Following the game, Martinez called for fans to stop doing pitch invasions, saying (via MSN):
"I don't think it should happen on a football pitch. There is a lot of security and a lot of protection and I don't think that should happen and we should probably give a message to the fans that it is not the right way.
"You are not going to get anything out of it and probably the measures get worse for the future and it's not good to get the players so exposed when you're running on the pitch"
He added:
"It is a concern because today we were lucky that the intentions of the fans were good. We all love fans who recognise the big stars and the big icons in their lives. You can understand there is a very difficult moment if those intentions are wrong the players are exposed and we need to be careful."
Ronaldo is yet to get off the mark at Euro 2024 but still had a decent outing against Turkiye, providing one assist, creating three chances, and winning five duels.