Georgia must win against Portugal, already assured of first place in Group F, to achieve historic qualification for Euro 2024.
20:57 – The Georgians supported in the stands
Many Georgian fans are present in the stands usually occupied by Schalke 04 supporters to support their country in search of a historic qualification for the round of 16. But the Portuguese are not left out!
20:54 – The players enter the pitch
Players from Georgia and Portugal enter the pitch at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen. The match will start just after the anthems of the two countries!
20:50 – Kvaratskhelia will make her dream come true
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will make one of her dreams come true this evening by facing her childhood idol, Cristiano Ronaldo. “I hope we will win and that Cristiano Ronaldo will give me his jersey (…) I have not yet shown the best of myself and I hope to do it against Portugal,” admitted the Napoli winger , who stressed that Georgia “did not come as tourists” to play this match against Portugal.
20:45 – Ronaldo will break a record
Starting this evening despite Portugal’s already qualified qualification, Cristiano Ronaldo will become the first player to reach the 50 match mark in a major international tournament. He has already played 27 matches in a Euro and 22 in a World Cup. “CR7” is looking for its first goal in the tournament tonight.
20:40 – On which channels can you follow this match?
This match between Georgia and Portugal will be broadcast by M6 unencrypted but also by beIN Sports 1, which also broadcasts all of the Euro 2024 matches. If you want to watch the Euro 2024 group match between Georgia and Portugal on your computer, smartphone or tablet, you must subscribe to BeIn Sports CONNECT which will allow you to access Bein Sports 1. You can also connect to the 6play.fr application by creating for free your account.
20:35 – Mikautadze, Georgia’s other weapon
Harry Kane? Kylian Mbappé? Cristiano Ronaldo? Well no, the top scorer in Euro 2024 at the moment is not one of these three players. Georges Mikautadze, with two goals in two matches, on the other hand, occupies the lead in the scorers’ ranking with Füllkrug, Musiala (Germany) and Schranz (Slovakia). The FC Metz scorer, who shone during the second part of the season in Ligue 1, will be the main danger for Portugal, with obviously Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
20:30 – A world of difference
The opposition between Georgia and Portugal is one of the most unbalanced in this group stage of Euro 2024. Sixty-eight places separate the two nations in the FIFA rankings, since Portugal is 6th and Georgia 74th. The gap is also large regarding the estimated value of their workforce: 1.05 billion euros for the Seleçao against 161.05 million for Georgia, according to the specialized site Transfermarkt. The Mikautadze – Kvaratskhelia duo is already worth 95 million, including 80 for the Napoli winger courted by PSG this summer.
20:25 – Portugal: Martinez rotates widely
For this meeting without stakes, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez rotates his squad widely, with 8 changes. Despite his 39 years, Cristiano Ronaldo continues in front. Pepe (41 years old) leaves his place to Antonio Silva in defense. Joao Félix, Semedo and Ruben Neves join the team. Portugal’s starting XI: D. Costa – Dalot, A. Silva, D. Pereira, G. Inacio, P. Neto – J. Neves, Palhinha – F. Conceiçao, C. Ronaldo, J. Félix.
20:20 – Georgia: Sagnol trusts the same players
Georgia’s French coach Willy Sagnol is relying on the same system as in the first two games, with a three-man defence and notably the duo Mikautadze – Kvaratskhelia up front. But Sagnol has brought in several fresh players to try to beat Portugal, such as Gvelesiani, Lochoshvili and Kiteishvili. Georgia’s starting lineup: Mamardashvili – Kakabadze, Gvelesiani, Kashia, Dvali, Lochoshvili – Chakvetadze, Kochorashvili, Kiteishvili – Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia.
20:15 – The ranking of group F
Before the final matches of the Euro 2024 group stage (Georgia – Portugal and Czech Republic – Turkey), here is an update on the classification of Group F:
- Portugal (Q) – 6 points (+4)
- Türkiye – 3 points (-1)
- Czech Republic – 1 point (-1)
- Georgia – 1 point (-1)
20:10 – Georgia can qualify if successful
After a defeat against Turkey (1-3) then a draw against the Czech Republic (1-1), Georgia is currently last in Group F. But everything is still possible for the Georgians, who can still qualify among the 4 best thirds in the event of success against Portugal this Wednesday evening. In the event of a draw, they could finish third in the group if the Czech Republic lose to Turkey but, with two points on the clock, that might not be enough to be among the best thirds.
20:05 – Portugal already qualified
Portugal has the opportunity to imitate its Spanish neighbor and finish the group stage with nine points taken from three matches. This is almost the only issue in this match against Georgia for the Portuguese, already assured of finishing in first place in Group F after two successes in two matches, against the Czech Republic (2-1) then Turkey (3 -0).