The first round of pool fixtures at Euro 2024 comes to a climax in Germany on Tuesday, including the entrance of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.
He will take centre stage in the later kick off in Group F as his fancied Portugal side go up against Czechia in Leipzig.
That follows the group opener between Turkiye and Georgia in Dortmund, as the pair meet for one of the rarer derbies on the big stage.
*All kick off times in local time.
Group F: Turkiye vs Georgia – 18.00
It’s a match up few would have predicted at the start of the Euro 2024 qualifying cycle, but there’s an exciting, eastern flavour to proceedings in Dortmund on Tuesday as Turkiye face Georgia.
The pair share the opening match in Group F as well as a land border to the far north east of the former.
But the Turkish have more than local rivalry on their mind, with the ghost of their calamitous Euro 2020 campaign needing to be laid firmly to rest.
Defeats to Italy, Wales and Switzerland made a mockery of their pre-tournament tag of dark horses, as they were bundled out pointless from Group A three years ago.
Coach Vincenzo Montella is untarnished by that particular mess – and the Italian breathed life into a qualifying campaign that could also have ended in failure.
A strong finish saw them finish above Croatia by a single point, to earn them their shot at redemption in Germany.
And it’s a new generation that carries the hopes of a football-mad nation.
Teenagers Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz have been strutting their stuff for European club giants Real Madrid and Juventus respectively, with the international stage now awaiting them.
Dreams came true for Georgia when they reached the tournament by virtue of the staggeringly obscure Patch C playoff pathway.
Nevertheless, a penalty shootout success against Greece in the final followed a semi-final victory over Luxembourg to put Willy Sagnol’s side in the spotlight.
The former French international knows all about big game pressure and he leads a squad that contains genuine quality in the shape of Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
And they’ve earned their free swing at the Euros, with games against Portugal and Czechia to follow.
Group F: Portugal vs Czechia – 21.00
The Cristiano Ronaldo show rolls into Leipzig on Tuesday night, as Portugal meet Czechia to complete the first round of fixtures in Group F.
It’s a record-breaking sixth appearance for the 39-year-old icon, who heads a squad brimming with experience.
They’re also a team out to prove a point, after disappointing exits both in the delayed Euro 2020 and at the hands of Morocco in the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar.
It saw Roberto Martinez replace veteran coach Fernando Santos, who had previously guided the Portuguese to the Euro 2016 title.
And they breezed through qualifying under the Spaniard, topping Group J with a perfect record of ten wins from ten and only two goals conceded.
If the likes of Joao Cancelo, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva can join the party, they look a good bet to go deep into yet another competition.
In their way in the opening fixture are Czechia, who qualified as runners-up to Albania in Group E, pushing Poland into the playoffs.
And they’re not to be underestimated, having reached the quarter-final stage of Euro 2020 before being edged out 2-1 by Denmark in Baku, having squeaked through the group phase alongside England and Croatia, with Scotland knocked out.
Patrik Schick and Tomas Soucek are among those that bring the experience to go again in Germany, as coach Ivan Hasek looks to build yet another solid campaign.
Turkey v Georgia
| Result prediction | Turkey to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / Turkey to win |
| Team to Score prediction | none |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Portugal v Czech Republic
| Result prediction | Portugal to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / Portugal to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | Cristiano Ronaldo(Portugal), P. Schick(Czech Republic) |