Croatia vs. Portugal: Live Stream, Odds and Form Guide for Euro 2016
Croatia and Portugal will meet in their UEFA Euro 2016 round-of-16 clash on Saturday in what should be the most exciting fixture on their side of the bracket.
Most of the tournament favourites have been grouped together on the other side of the draw, and the winner of this match has a relatively open road to the latter stages of the tournament. It's a shame one of these teams will have to exit Euro 2016 this early, but fans should be in for an attacking masterpiece.
Croatia have been the form team of the tournament so far, and Bleacher Report's Dean Jones placed the Group D winners at the top of his power rankings as a result:
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Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal team-mates finally seemed to find their form in the 3-3 draw against Hungary on Wednesday, however, and their recent Euro history means they shouldn't be underestimated.
Date: Saturday, June 25
Time: 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET
Venue: Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens
The latest match odds, relayed by Odds Shark:
| Croatia Win | Draw | Portugal Win |
| 41-20 | 41-25 | 11-5 |
Form Guide
| Spain: 2-1 Win | Hungary: 3-3 Draw |
| Czech Republic: 2-2 Draw | Austria: 0-0 Draw |
| Turkey: 1-0 Win | Iceland: 1-1 Draw |
| San Marino: 10-0 Win | Estonia: 7-0 Win |
| Moldova: 1-0 Win | England: 1-0 Loss |
Preview
Portugal have yet to play their best football this tournament, but the oddsmakers appear confident in their ability to get past Croatia. The belief likely comes from the presence of Ronaldo, who powered his team into the next round with two goals and a lovely assist against Group F winners Hungary, as well as the team's history in the tournament.
Since 2000, Portugal have made it to the semi-finals or final in every Euro tournament save one: the 2008 edition, when they exited at the quarter-final stage.
Croatia also made it to the quarter-finals that year, their joint-best result since they gained admission to UEFA in 1993.
Per the team's official Twitter account, goalkeeper Danijel Subasic believes in their chances on Saturday:
Croatia just beat Turkey in their first Euro 2016 match and crumbled against the Czech Republic, but their impressive win over Spain on Tuesday―with Luka Modric watching from the sidelines―highlighted just how much quality the team has.
Their midfield in particular is as deep as anyone's. Ivan Rakitic and Ivan Perisic are enjoying fantastic tournaments, and Milan Badelj also made a superb impression against the defending champions.
Andres Cordero of beINSports USA is a fan:
Portugal have arguably just as much talent in midfield, but so far, the 2004 finalists have done a poor job of shielding their back four. Hungary were given far too much space to distribute the ball out wide, putting pressure on the Portuguese defence, which isn't as star-studded as the rest of the team.
Fortunately for manager Fernando Santos, his team has the type of attack that can keep up with anyone and pick up the slack when needed. Against Hungary, Portugal came back from a deficit three times, an impressive feat against such a resilient side.
Croatia's defence isn't the best left in the tournament, but unlike Portugal, they do a fine job of shielding their back four with their midfield. And as shared by Oliver Kay of the Times, two top talents may be returning to the starting XI for Saturday's clash:
Ultimately, Croatia have the more balanced side and the edge in depth, but the top individual talent on the pitch is undoubtedly Ronaldo. If the Real Madrid star can carry the form he showed against Hungary into this match, Portugal will have a solid chance of beating Croatia. If not, the Group D winners will likely advance.
Prediction: Croatia 2-1 Portugal
