Going into quarterfinal is considered a success for Michal Bilek's men, and in front of Czech Republic now stands Portugal with the "canon Ronaldo" ready to fire.
Czech Republic and Portugal both lost their first game before winning the last two to advance to the last eight. The difference is that Czech Republic was in the group that considered the easiest while Portugal had to go against Germany, Netherlands and Denmark.
In group stage, Michal Bilek's squad showed their 'iron will". Not many people believe that Czech Republic could stand up like that after the comprehensive lost 1-4 in their first match against Russia. They grabbed 3 points in the next match against Greece with a good strategy. Under enormous pressure in Warsaw National Stadium, they defeated the co-host Poland with Jiracek's only goal.
Portugal, on the other hand, showed their improvement by each match. They started with the disappointed performance, playing with a defensive formation against Germany, which received a lot of criticism. Paulo Bento knew that Portugal needed to take more risk and win the next game, and so they did. In the last match against Netherlands, Ronaldo had one of his performance with two goals to boost and seal the come-back victory for Portugal.
Victory over Netherlands does not only mean a spot in the last eight, but a push the team's spirit. Portugal's biggest star, Ronaldo, was the target for much criticism and complaints for his poor performance in the first two games, especially in the match against Denmark when he missed so many obvious chances. Hence, the two goals in the last match is a positive sign for Portugal's offense. With Ronaldo shining, other players around him like Nani, Postiga or Meireles will perform better.
Ronaldo and team-mates are improving their game match by match
It will be very difficult for Czech Republic to stand against attacking power of Portugal. More importantly, when Ronaldo is on form, it's really hard to stop him. Beside Portugal's captain, Czech's defense is weak in situation when the opponent uses speed to attack. Their fans have reason to worry about Czech's right defender Tomas Sivok, who are responsible for 2 in 4 conceded goals in the match against Russia. On the other hand, this will come as advantage for Portugal when they are possessing Ronaldo and Nani, wingers with skill and speed. Portugal is on different level compared to Poland, therefore Michal Bilek's men will not likely to pull another stunt at EURO 2012.
Bilek is having some headaches with Czech's offense too. All of their goals until now are scored by midfielders, Jiracek and Pilar. Milan Baros seemed harmless in front of the goal, while Portugal's central defender Pepe and Bruno Alves are doing a good job so far.
Their head to head record is even for both team. In the last 11 encounters, each team won 4, drew 3, and lost 4. In the most recent match, Portugal beat Czech Republic 3-1 in the group stage.
Our Prediction
It's likely that Portugal will be the team advancing to next round, and our prediction for this match is 2-1. However, this is quarterfinal and anything can happen.
Betting Tips
Take a look at the market and odds offered by 360BOL.com
The most promising odds is Portugal Asian Handicap (-) 0.75 at odds 1.031. We have a funny feeling that Ronaldo will be the one who started the scoreline, so watch out for that bet too. For more odds and markets, visit 36BOL.com Sportsbook
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