Euro 2012 Quarterfinals: Portugal vs. Czech Republic
By Ty Duffy
Here is where Ronaldo can earn his “true greatness,” because, really, what can we gleam from multiple league titles for Real Madrid and Manchester United, a Champions League winners’ medal and a Ballon d’Or?
No one expects much from the Czechs, but they are used to that. They were poor in qualifying, uninspiring in the buildup friendlies and got smoked by Russia in the first match. Despite losing their “star,” Tomas Rosicky the Czechs still won Group A. Surpassing all expectations of them, this team has nothing to lose.
As Michael Cox of Zonal Marking points out, these are strikingly similar teams. Neither has a striker. Both teams rely on industry rather than creativity in midfield. Both rely on an attacking fullback Gebre-Selassie/Coentrao overlapping with a winger who darts inside Jiracek/Ronaldo. Both will sit deep and look to play on the counter.
Odds via SPI: Portugal (74.8 Percent), Czech Republic (25.2 Percent)