Portugal are favorites to start Group J of Euro 2024

Portugal have opened the doors to the final phase of Euro 2024 in Group J, in which they are absolute favorites, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovakia are, in theory, the only ones who can still make things difficult for the Portuguese.

With the top two in the group having direct access to next year’s tournament in Germany, only a total disaster would leave the team out of competition, with Iceland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg rounding out the opposition at this stage. .

In fact, Luxembourg is really the only team in the group that can “boast” about having beaten Portugal in the past (4-2, in 1961, in the debut of “King” Eusebio), and the rest of the teams now have a new attempt to beat the Portuguese team for the first time.

Taking into account opponents and history, the selection now led by Spaniard Roberto Martinez has a clear commitment to secure first place in Group J and “fix” qualification as soon as possible, with Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovakia and possibly Iceland. try for a valuable second place.

Trips to Sarajevo (October 16) and Bratislava (September 8) are the only games that promise to increase the difficulty for the Portuguese side, but even so, the Kinas team will always have the status of favorites to win.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, for example, is even looking for its first presence in the final stage of the European Championship (it was at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil), which was close to happening in the last three qualifying stages, but hopes always ended in “playoffs” “.

In 2012, at this stage, Portugal was mainly responsible for the absence of the Bosnians, with a 6-2 triumph in Lisbon, at the Da Luz stadium, after a “nil” recorded in the first leg in Zenica.

Slovakia participated in the last two European Championships (in 2016 it even reached the 1/8 finals) and will try to repeat the qualification, but this time without Hamsik.

The record-breaking midfielder who played for the country (136) and Slovakia’s great of the last decade said goodbye to international football last year after failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, leaving the Slovaks to start a new cycle.

After qualifying for Euro 2000 and the 2006 World Cup, Portugal will play again with Slovakia, a team that has won three times, conceding only one draw.

Also without any victory against Portugal, Iceland again faces the Portuguese team after the qualifying stage for Euro 2012 and, more recently, Euro 2016, in which the two teams drew 1:1 in Saint-Étienne, at the start of the competition which was held in France and that the national team would eventually win.

The northern formation was still present at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but has since fallen into disrepair, first due to the departure of a talented generation, and then due to several sex scandals involving managers and players that left their mark on the football of that time. a country.

Not to mention the struggle for qualification, Luxembourg appears for the third time in a row on the way of Portugal in the qualifying stage for major competitions (Euro 2020 and Mundial 2022), where the team always wins duels with more or less difficulty.

Trying to break out of last place in the group will be Liechtenstein, a team that has completed the last two qualifying rounds (Euro 2020 and Mundial 2022) without a single triumph (only three draws) and with a record of over 30 goals conceded in both campaigns. .

However, Portugal appears in one of the greatest moments in the history of football in Liechtenstein, when in October 2004 in full qualification for the World Cup in Germany (2006) Vaduz scored two goals.

This Portuguese team had players such as goalkeeper Ricardo, defenders Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho, midfielder Deco, winger Simão Sabrosa, striker Pauleta and the historic Cristiano Ronaldo still active.

The qualifying round starts this week with a double journey: Portugal hosts Liechtenstein, Alvalade and heads to Luxembourg. The group ends in November when the national team takes over Iceland.