The Quarter finals are here with the first of the games set to kick off tonight between Portugal, and the Czech Republic in the National Stadium in Warsaw ( 20:45 ).
Portugal it seems are the team to have hit form at the right time led by Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo firing on all cylinders and with Nani on the other wing, and a steady Bruno Alves at the back.
The Czech Republic will be starting without Arsenals Tomas Rosicky thanks to an Achilles injury, but little Mozart as he is called by teammates will be available from the bench. The Czech’s have a great team spirit, but for them to progress they are going to have to bring their A-Game. This is what Rosicky had to say going into the match when questioned about Ronaldo, and Nani: “It is very important to stop those two because they are special players.
“We will focus on that and if we are able to do it we will see. But Portugal are dangerous from everywhere because they have a very compact team.
“The front players are very talented and the midfield is very hard working and they are dangerous from set pieces.
“The threat comes from everywhere, but I believe we have some strong points in our game too and it will be interesting.”
He added: “The mood in our camp is positive and we are really looking forward to the game.
“But we definitely need to improve in some areas. After the first game I think you can see the progress we made defensively.
“Against Greece and Poland we showed we can play some good football and we want to continue like that.
“Portugal are playing a little bit like Russia — very compact in defence and their counter attacks are very strong.
“We have to show we have made progress ourselves because if we don’t show it we will be in big trouble.”
On being interviewed before tonight big game Nani said: “We knew that when a new coach came in it would have to be a new start for everyone.
“We would have to change because our ambition was to reach the finals. He came in with a good mentality, a good attitude and that was it — he changed our mind-set.”
The Portuguese coach Paulo Bento who celebrated his 43rd birthday yesterday says he knows how to get the best out of the team’s star player Cristiano Ronaldo.
He said: “I don’t just let him play, of course there are instructions for him.
“I’ve heard a saying that talent can be stressful. So we have to help him.
“He has a lot of talent, of course, but I have to give him the best information to help him with his task.”
My prediction on this match is for Portugal to advance into the last four.
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