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European heavyweights Portugal and Belgium square off at Euro 2020 in one of the most high-profile matches in the Round of 16 on Sunday.
Belgium manager Roberto Martinez will be a happy man now that all his top players have regained fitness. Kevin De Bruyne, Axel Witsel and Eden Hazard returned to the starting lineup in their final group game against Finland. They have Romelu Lukaku in great form as well and it will be interesting to see who all will feature in the game against Portugal.
Meanwhile, Portugal manager Fernando Santos has a few selection headaches. Portugal's threat was largely neutralized by Germany but they turned in a good performance against France. Santos did shuffle his pack for the encounter against Les Bleus. He has quite a few decisions to make ahead of the crunch encounter against Belgium.
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Portugal face a tough test against Belgium in the Euro 2020 Round of 16
The Red Devils are unbeaten in their last 12 matches and Portugal will have their work cut out for them. They will need to put their best foot forward if they're to overcome the challenge posed by Kevin De Bruyne and co.
Without further ado, let's take a look at how Portugal could line up against Belgium in the Euro 2020 Round of 16 clash.
Portugal goalkeeper
Rui Patricio made arguably the best save so far at Euro 2020 when he hurled himself to his right to stop a Paul Pogba curler that was headed for the top corner. Patricio has been solid for Portugal so far. He pulled off brilliant saves against Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe as well.
Though he conceded four goals against Germany, there wasn't much Patricio could have done about it as it was largely down to Portugal's flaws in defence. The Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper is expected to keep his place in the starting lineup.
Portugal defenders
Nelson Semedo had to be taken off in the game against France but he is back in training and is expected to start ahead of Diogo Dalot. Portugal have missed Joao Cancelo dearly with the Manchester City man missing out after testing positive for Covid-19.
Ruben Dias and Pepe have a lot to prove after conceding six goals across three matches in the group stage of Euro 2020. Dias has struggled while veteran Pepe has done a decent job in games against Hungary and France. The centre-back duo will be up against yet another excellent attacking unit and Santos will be hoping that they can step up to the challenge.
Raphael Guerreiro turned in a good performance against France and he is expected to start at left-back.
Portugal midfielders
This is where Fernando Santos will earn his money as a coach. Portugal have a wealth of midfield options but it has not been as straightforward as everyone was expecting it to be. Danilo Pereira absorbed a blow to the face in the game against France and had to be taken off. But he is expected to return to the fray against Belgium.
He won the first penalty for his side and also showed good control whenever he had the ball at his feet. Joao Palhinha impressed in his cameo against France and though he didn't hit his stride straight away, he settled down and helped shore up the defence.
His distribution was on point and was also enterprising in possession, navigating tight spaces and coming out with the ball on quite a few occasions. Palhinha could be a surprise starter against Belgium.
Fernando Santos has to choose between Bruno Fernandes and Renato Sanches for the final spot in midfield. Going into the tournament, Fernandes was expected to be one of the first names on the teamsheet. However, the Manchester United midfielder has struggled to impose himself.
His replacement Renato Sanches has been one of Portugal's best players so far at Euro 2020. Sanches played a crucial role in Lille's Ligue 1 triumph in the 2020-21 season and he has carried that form into the European championship.
He showed plenty of quality with the ball and worked tirelessly against Germany and France. Sanches has done plenty to warrant yet another start and he is expected to be given the nod ahead of Bruno Fernandes once again.
Portugal forwards
Bernardo Silva failed to leave a mark on Portugal's first two fixtures at Euro 2020. He bounced back to produce a good performance against France. Silva was able to bring Nelson Semedo into play and caused problems for Lucas Hernandez throughout the first half.
Being one of Portugal's most experienced attacking options, he is likely to keep his place. Diogo Jota couldn't offer anything of note against France but he was one of Portugal's best players against Germany. On his day, the Liverpool forward is quite a menacing presence down the left flank and Santos is likely to bank on him here.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the leading scorer at Euro 2020, will lead the line against Belgium. He has scored five goals in the tournament so far and has looked really good.
