EURO 2012 BETTING PICK - CZECH REPUBLIC V PORTUGAL

Euro 2012

2012-06-21 - Czech Republic vs Portugal

A Sports Betting Pick by Cruiser

Match Preview :

Czech Republic will take on Portugal tonight at the National Stadium in Warsaw and after suffering defeat in their opening match have since bounced back to win their other two matches.

Portugal who were beaten by Germany 1-0 in their opening match also came back with wins over Denmark and Holland to finish second in Group B.

The Czechs however reached the last eight as Group A winners when they came back after losing their first match to Russia 4-1 to beat Greece and co-hosts Poland.

This clash will bring back memories of the Euro 2006 quarter-final when the Czech Republic created an upset and beat the Portuguese with a 1-0 win thanks to Karel Poborsky's only goal of the match.

However, their only other meeting since the split of Czechoslovakia 19 years ago came at the 2008 tournament, when Portugal gained revenge with a 3-1 victory in the group stage. And Czech Republic coach Michal Bilek firmly believes his side can get the better of Portugal if they can keep their recent performances against the Portuguese.

One thing is for certain is that the Czech goes into this match as the underdogs but reecived a major boost by the news that Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky will feature having recovered from an Achilles tendon injury. Rosicky suffered the problem in his team's 2-1 triumph over Greece and missed the final group game against Poland last Saturday.

Bilek believes his team will have to play a defensive game and pay close atention to their dangerman in Cristiano Ronaldo if they have to havge any chance. He highlghted that their recent victories has been where they concentrated on defence and in particular their first game they gave the Russians too many chances and were punished with a 4-1 defeat. Rosicky admitted that Portugal will be a stern test for them then the previous teams they have faced in the competition.

Portugal go into the match on a high after Sunday's 2-1 triumph over Holland which saw them progress from Group B as runners-up behind Germany.

Nevertheless, Portuguese coach Paolo Bento was keen to play down expectations surrounding his side. He added that they are not getting carried away with their win over Holland and are now focusing at their game against the Czechs. This game gives us a chance at a semi-final spot he added. And he was confident his side will play with consistency and humility againt the Czech.

Bento believes it will take a team effort to see his players reach the last four of the competition and not just rely on their star player Cristiano Ronaldo. Meanwhile, Bento has no injury worries and is expected to field Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo in support of Helder Postiga up front.

For the record, Ronaldo scored two goals against Holland to increase his tally for Portugal to 34 goals.

Predictions :

Take Portugal to win this match and give the 3/4 ball away.

The Pick :

BEST BETTING TIP :

Take Portugal to win this match.