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CZECH REPUBLIC
 Cech G. Selassie, Sivok, Kadlec, Limbersky Hubschman, Plasil Jiracek, Kolar, Pilar Baros |
PORTUGAL
 Rui Patricio Joao Pereira, Alves, Pepe, Coentrao Meireles, Veloso, Moutinho Nani, Postiga, Ronaldo |
Michal Bilek's biggest worry ahead of the quarter-final clash with Portugal is the fitness of star midfielder Tomas Rosicky, who is rated doubtful for the game on Thursday following his Achilles tendon injury sustained in the game against Greece.
Should the Arsenal star fail to recover in time for the clash with Paulo Bento's men, Viktoria Plzen's Daniel Kolar will continue to deputise. Up front, Milan Baros is set to spearhead the Czech Republic attack.
Portugal have a full-strength squad at their disposal for the game against the Narodak. Helder Postiga will be supported up front by Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo, with Raul Meireles, Miguel Veloso and Joao Moutinho forming a triple pivot in midfield.
| DID YOU KNOW? |
Czech Republic eliminated Portugal at the same stage of the tournament in 1996 after a narrow 1-0 victory.
- Petr Jiracek's goal after two minutes and 14 seconds against Greece was the joint-third fastest goal in the history of the tournament.
- Czech Republic qualified from Group A with a negative goal difference. This also happened at Euro 1996, when the Narodak reached the semi-finals.
- Jaroslav Plasil, David Limbersky, Tomas Rosicky, Tomas Pekhart, Petr Jiracek and Daniel Kolar will all incur a suspension should they receive a yellow card.
- Portugal's victories over Denmark and Netherlands came on the back of four defeats in 2012, in which they scored just one goal.
- The Seleccao have never failed to advance from the group stage of a European tournament.
- Cristiano Ronaldo's
double against Netherlands took him to 34 goals for Portugal, surpassing
Luis Figo's haul for the national team.
- Helder Postiga, Ronaldo, Fabio Coentrao, Raul Meireles and Joao Pereira will incur a suspension should they receive a booking.
Last Five Matches
Czech Rep.
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| Jun 16, 2012 | Czech Rep. 1 - Poland 0 | EC | ||||||
| Jun 12, 2012 | Greece 1 - Czech Rep. 2 | EC | ||||||
| Jun 8, 2012 | Russia 4 - Czech Rep. 1 | EC | ||||||
| Jun 1, 2012 | Czech Rep. 1 - Hungary 2 | FR | ||||||
| May 26, 2012 | Czech Rep. 2 - Israel 1 | FR | ||||||
Portugal
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| Jun 17, 2012 | Portugal 2 - Netherlands 1 | EC |
| Jun 13, 2012 | Denmark 2 - Portugal 3 | EC |
| Jun 9, 2012 | Germany 1 - Portugal 0 | EC |
| Jun 2, 2012 | Portugal 1 - Turkey 3 | FR |
| May 26, 2012 | Portugal 0 - Macedonia FYR 0 | FR |
| Michal Kadlec | |||
| Position: | Defender | ||
| Squad Number: | 3 | ||
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The Bayer Leverkusen man is playing out of
position in the centre of the Czech Republic's defence, and have done
remarkably so far at Euro 2012. He will have to be at his brilliant best
on Thursday to help his team contain the Portuguese juggernaut.
| Cristiano Ronaldo | |
| Position: | Striker |
| Squad Number: | 7 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
The Real Madrid ace silenced his critics with a
stunning performance against Netherlands, and he will be keen to prove
that his display was not just a part of a 'hot and cold' sequence. His
pace, power, dribbling and shooting could be the key to unlock Michal
Bilek's side's defence.
Both teams come into the game on
the back of two wins, and while Portugal's individual class would
normally see them through, at a European tournament anything can happen.
The Seleccao's defensive frailties were exposed against Denmark, and
the Czech Republic's collective spirit could see them hold on and force
the contest into penalties.
