Tuesday 011 Euro 2011 Hungary vs Portugal
Match time: 2021-06-16 00:00
The match between Hungary and Portugal will be held at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, the capital of Hungary.
Unfortunately, Hungary fell into the "death group" of Euro 2020 and had to face defending champions Portugal in the first match. C. Ronaldo and his teammates understand that they must win, they must defeat the weakest opponent in the group.
Hungary have never beaten Portugal in their last 13 matches (4 draws and 9 defeats) – it is the only team they have played against more than 10 times and never won.
Portugal experienced a tournament full of ups and downs in 2016, when C. Ronaldo and his teammates advanced in a thrilling way without winning a single match in the group stage, including a 3-3 draw in the final round with Hungary, who won the group title.
Only luck can help Portugal to continue. But this is the story of 5 years ago, and at this moment, the Portuguese team is even stronger, with a new golden generation like Bruno Fernandes, João Felix, Sergio Oliveira and so on.
Cristiano Ronaldo will not have to carry the team forward alone as he did before, and of course, Portugal's ambitions are greater than they were five years ago.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his team-mates aim to defend their title at Euro 2020.
Portugal's worst loss may be Manchester City defender João Cancelo absent from the coronavirus, but they also have qualified substitutes like Nelson Semedo or Diogo Dalot, so the strength will certainly not be reduced.
Facing the recognized weakest opponent in Group F, Portugal not only had to win. They need to win big wins to create an edge on secondary data.
The European Championship grouping was too bad for Hungary and they were stuck in a group that was too tough. When seeing that the three opponents are teams like France, Germany and Portugal, the likelihood of them breaking through from the group is very small.
What's more, when these opponents are in a state where they need to compete for the number of goals scored (and strive for the best third place), Hungary is highly likely to become a "basket".
However, when looking at the two bright names of defender Willy Orban and goalkeeper Peter Gurac, Hungary's strength is not so bad. They all belong to Red Bull Leipzig and helped the team become the team with the most clean sheets in the Bundesliga last season.
Where will Hungary go in the face of a strong Portugal?
In terms of form, Hungary's performance has improved recently, going unbeaten in 11 matches in all competitions, including a draw with Poland in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and an easy victory over San Marino and Andorra.
However, compared to Portugal, Hungary is much inferior in all aspects, and to achieve a positive result in the first game, it will take 200% of the ability.
Our tip: Portugal win at half-time, win at full time (reference score: 0-2)
Tuesday 012 Euro 2012 Germany vs France
Competition time: 2021-06-16 03:00
The contest between the last two World Cup winners will take place at the Allianz Arena in Munich. In UEFA's official schedule, France is listed as the main team.
Germany's former captain Ram's "lucky hand" brought France, Germany and Portugal into the same group at Euro 2020. These are three of the four teams in Euro 2016, two of which are the owners of two-time champions.
Team rank, star fame and the coincidence between France and Germany will all make this game at the Allianz Stadium fascinating and unpredictable.
France beat Bulgaria 3-0 in their final game before the European Cup, but after that match, substitute striker Olivier Olivier Giroud insisted he tried to run inside the box but did not get a pass from his teammates.
After Giroud's hint, star Killian Mbappe got angry. The Paris Saint-Germain striker asked for a press conference to clarify the matter. The problem was so serious that coach Didier Deschamps had to meet with the team to settle. Mbappe and Giroud agreed to lower their self-esteem and focus on the game.
Mbappe is one of the best strikers in the world
France's clash reminds many fans of the 2010 World Cup scandal, when veterans such as Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka openly opposed manager Domenek.
However, the French team at this time is very different from 11 years ago. Deschamps' team is strong enough to maintain their strength and overcome the darkness behind the scenes.
Three years after winning the 2018 Fifa World Cup, France still retain their backbone, with half of the names of goalkeeper Hugo Lowry, defender Rafael Varane, Bunjaman Pavard, Lucas Hernandez, midfield duo Paul Pogba and Ngorlo Kante familiar with Deschamps' philosophy.
Maintaining the framework of victory means stabilizing forces. Not to mention, france also has the return of Benzema. The Real Madrid striker is an upgraded version of Olivier Giroud. His problem is that after six years, he needs to re-adapt to the atmosphere and playing style of the national team.
Former Manchester United player Wayne Rooney commented that the source of France's strength lies in the spirit of unity, and no player considers himself a star.
In the 2018 World Cup, France's style of play was not flashy, but mainly defensive - modest and effective counterattack, combined with the experience of the players. Head coach Deschamps is likely to maintain this approach, although France have just scored six goals against Wales and Bulgaria and have been very good.
In the group stage with many strong players such as Germany and Portugal, the pragmatic football style of the French team is becoming more and more confident.
In the previous 31 meetings, France had the upper hand with 14 wins, a times a half higher than Germany's nine-and-a-half wins. After the 2014 World Cup, France remained unbeaten in five matches against Germany, including a 2-0 win in the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
However, the weak record against the French is not an obstacle for the Germans, because there are too many problems within the team led by head coach Loew.
Germany's performance in recent years has been disappointing
After a fiasco at the 2018 World Cup, manager Löw publicly eliminated Germany's Hummels, Thomas Müller and Jérôme Boateng. Jurgen Klinsmann's former assistant coach, who wants to revive the team, believes in Gnabry, Sane, Timo Werner or Julian Brandt.
However, being at the bottom of the UEFA Nations League (behind France and the Netherlands) and a series of poor results, including a 6-0 loss to Spain, have changed Loew. Mueller, Hummels was recalled. At Euro 2020, Germany will continue to rely on Bayern Munich's vertical axis.
After Euro 2020, manager Loew will resign to end his 15-year coaching career for the national team. Loew's cycle of success is thought to have ended after Euro 2016, when the golden generation began to age. Loew's old-fashioned and monotonous approach to coaching is no longer suitable for top football.
Coach Loew stepped down after this European Championship
Germany remained cohesive as planned, but lacked a breakthrough and transformation to beat well-organized teams. In the last four matches, Germany have won 2, drawn 1 and lost 1, with Müller and his teammates beating Romania, who did not play in the European Championship, 1-0 and crushing Latvia, one of Europe's weakest teams, 7-1 in the most recent match.
But they lost 2-1 at home to North Macedonia and drew 1-1 with Denmark in a friendly in Austria, both of which were disappointing. In both games, Loew's team showed the same scenario: an offensive stalemate and a defensive blunder.
Germany's weakness is France's strong point. The "Blues" have top midfielders like Pogba and Kante and perfect strikers who can defend and counter-attack. Most likely, France will play the ball cautiously and modestly, then wait for the opportunity to set traps to "catch" the opponent.
Our tip: France wins (france wins first) ;(reference: 0-0 at half, 1-0 at full)