Two super nations in the form of Belgium and Portugal lock horns in the Round of 16 as the holders are put to the test once more when they face the Red Devils, who come into this game with a 100 percent record.
This is undoubtedly one of the biggest battles of Euro 2020 so far, but there seems to be another rivalry brewing between Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku, who are both chasing the golden boot.
Sunday 27 June
Estadio La Cartuja
To Win Match
Belgium 27/20
Draw 22/10
Portugal 43/20
Belgium
Belgium have done absolutely nothing wrong this tournament, topping their group with a maximum of nine points, netting a minimum of two goals per game. Contributing to most of those goals is Romelu Lukaku, who has been in red-hot form for the past 18 months or so.
The Inter Milan marksman has banged in three goals in as many matches for the Red Devils, setting his sights on overtaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s tally of five. What better way to help achieve that by knocking the Portuguese talisman, along with his countrymen, out of the tournament.
Many have questioned whether Belgium have passed their golden generation, but with the likes of Thibaut Courtois, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Axel Witsel, Youri Tielemans, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard all alongside Lukaku, Belgium have shown that they’ve got a chance against just about any team in the world.
Portugal
Euro 2020 doesn’t get any easier for Portugal. After coming out of Group F, which was labelled as the group of death, the holders of the tournament now face one of Europe’s elite in the form of Belgium.
Ronaldo has bailed the European champions out of trouble on numerous occasions already this tournament, leading the goalscoring charts with five goals in three matches, netting in every game for Portugal thus far.
Funny enough, Portugal coach Fernando Santos has spotted weaknesses in the Belgium team, but has refused to be too vocal about it before kick-off.
“I’m not going to talk about their weaknesses now because I don’t want them to know what I’m thinking,” Santos said.
“But there are things we can explore. The game against Denmark showed some of their weaknesses.”
Ronaldo will be the key component to exploiting those weaknesses, while Bruno Fernandes is expected to return to the midfield. Renato Sanches has also been a revelation for Portugal, so Belgium will have it all to do to defend against this juggernaut attack.
Prediction: Portugal to Qualify (19/20)
Belgium may be semi-finalists of the last FIFA World Cup that took place in 2018, but they still don’t convince me when the going gets tough on the knockout stage. Portugal have all the pedigree in the world, winning the last Euro and Nations League, while Ronaldo also has more records in sight. Whether they do it over 90 minutes, or need more time, I back Portugal to progress to the next round of the tournament at 19/20.
