Portugal vs. Austria Euro 2016 Preview, Prediction, Schedule, Live Stream As Cristiano Ronaldo Looks For Bounceback Performance
Portugal and Austria face off in a big Euro 2016 group match on Saturday.
This is likely the biggest match of these two group foes for differing reasons. Prior to the start of the tournament, many expected these two to fight it out for the group win. But as it stands, both could potentially fall out of that contest with anything other than a win in this tie.
Austria was vanquished 2-0 in its opener against Hungary, a rather wide open game that saw Hungary and Austria trade 14 attempts across the entire game. Austria's defense was not particularly promising and this could be an area to exploit for Portugal.
Of course Portugal will want to get better finishing than it did in its opener against Iceland. Cristiano Ronaldo and company came away with a 1-1 draw but should have done better if not for some poor final attempts.
Portugal had a whopping 26 shots at goal throughout the evening, including nine shots on target in one of the most dominating performance of the tournament thus far. Ronaldo himself led all players with 10 attempts, but only one of his shots was on target and six were actually blocked in an otherwise frustrating performance for the Real Madrid superstar. And yet Ronaldo had a solid game through and through. He succeeded in connecting on 90 percent of his passes and was a threat throughout the evening inside the box.
Player to Watch
Cristiano Ronaldo will be looking to make a statement after his frustrating turn against Iceland. He is a player capable of seizing control of a game on his own, much as he did in the Iceland match. Look for this ever-determined and hungry player to put on a solid showcase.
History says...
Austria has three wins and two losses against Portugal with five draws. That said, Portugal has not lost against Austria since 1979 and has a record of one win and three draws since then. These sides have not met since 1995, so there is no true recent history between them.
Prediction
Portugal manages the breakthrough it so desperately wanted against Iceland, winning 3-1 as Austria comes undone.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 3 p.m. EDT on Saturday June 18 and can be viewed on ESPN or ESPN Deportes. Those looking to watch the game on a mobile device can check it out with the Watch ESPN app.
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