Portugal vs Finland
Portugal aim to get warmed up before embarking on their European Championship campaign with a string of International Friendly bouts.
However, Roberto Martinez and his outfit should be careful what they wish for, as they’ll go against worthy adversaries such as Finland, Croatia, and Ireland before heading to the United States.
First on their list are Finland, who are salivating for redemption after their humbling defeat against Wales in the play-offs. The Finns will happily march to Estadio Jose Alvalade, knock on the Portuguese gates, and shake things up for A Seleção before the Euros.
So, read more below, as SBOTOP provides a comprehensive preview of this not-so-friendly bout.
Talking Points
Portugal to bounce back from Slovenian clean sheet
A Seleção were scorching after Roberto Martinez claimed the managerial role. Under Martinez, Portugal went on and demolished every adversary that came their way, even going on to win 11 straight matches, which included a 5-2 demolition job on Sweden, before sweeping the entire Group J during the EURO qualifiers.
This resurgence came as a breath of fresh air for A Seleção, especially after their shock exit in the 2022 World Cup as well as their Round of 16 exit in the last edition of the European Championships. However, their meteoric rise suddenly came to a halt when they faced off against Slovenia during their most recent International Friendly.
Because of their mighty form and the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to their roster, Portugal were the International Friendly 2024 betting odds favourites against the Slovenes. But just like in the 2022 World Cup, they were stunned by the underdogs, as they finished the match losing to Slovenia 2-nil.
Portugal flew too close to the sun and got a taste of their own medicine. Only time could tell if Portugal would use this loss as motivation or a stain on their form. Luckily for football fans across the globe, we will have an answer really soon as they welcome Finland to their home turf for an International Friendly.
By now, we’ve already established that Portugal are one of the favourites to win the European Championship, especially after their 11-for-11 run with Martinez at the helm. However, A Seleção can’t count their chickens before they hatch, as they have a long, bumpy road ahead of them.
Finland out for vengeance after play-off exit
Finland stared blankly at the horizon as they found themselves without competitive tournament football this summer.
The Finns were drawn into Group H, where they were clustered with the likes of Denmark, Slovenia, Kazakhstan, Northern Ireland and San Marino, a very capable group comprised of talented outfits.
In 10 games, the Finns managed to pick up six wins and four losses, tallying just 18 points for a third-place finish, sending them to the play-offs.
All hope was not lost, as they kept their heads up, marching to the play-offs to clinch a spot in the European Championship. With a bounce to their step, they were faced with a sturdy Wales outfit at Cardiff City Stadium.
There, Finland seemed to be playing a decent brand of football, but the crowd in attendance saw how the Finnish defence collapsed before their very eyes. Yes, Teemu Pukki managed to find the back of the net before halftime, but Wales ended the game with a 4-1 score line, handing Finland a humbling loss and a spot on the sidelines this summer to boot.
Now, with heavy hearts and a strong urge to prove themselves, Finland march to Portugal and are keen on showing the football world that they can tussle with Europe’s best despite their play-off exit in the qualifiers.
History
The last five games for this fixture have a closer record than you might think. In their last five, Portugal have only seen two wins, while Finland have one win and two draws.
This head-to-head record just shows that Finland, despite an empty slate in the summer, are still one of the nations to look out for in Europe.
In their recent form, Portugal have blazed themselves to European Championship contention by sweeping the qualifiers with winning all 10 matches and then proceeded to demolish Sweden in the last international break, scoring a total of 41 goals and conceding just four during that stretch.
Although, despite their dominance, Portugal couldn’t go 12 for 12 and were abruptly humbled by Slovenia with a 2-0 loss at Stožice Stadium.
Elsewhere, Finland have endured an awful stretch of football, finishing third in Group H and then losing against Wales in the play-offs. However, they did find some retribution and tallied winning International Friendly 2024 results with a 2-1 victory over Estonia in a competitive clash last week.
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