Eurocup 2016 Portugal vs. Iceland: Preview, Live Stream, Tickets and Predictions
Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma Boost Portugal's Chances of Winning
Two football stars from Portugal are expected to shine for the team's Euro 2016 matchup with Iceland on Tuesday night.
Quaresma's Unpredictability
Winger Ricardo Quaresma and forward Cristiano Ronaldo have raised the bar for Portugal in the European tournament. Quaresma's return to the team has fueled up the team's performance especially with the great warm-up play versus Estonia last Wednesday where Portugal scored seven goals while the other side had zero point.
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Despite his impressive play, it remains unsure if Quaresma will be fielded by coach Fernando Santos during the match with Iceland since the winger has been known for being "unpredictable" during games. Fans, however, are hoping to see a powerful Ronaldo-Quaresma tandem for the Euro 2016.
For Santos, every member of the team has a vital role for the team, adding that his 23 players are equally important for Portugal and not only their star players. "All have equal chances of playing but it's an excellent headache to have," the coach added.
Portugal forward Eder agreed with his coach that the team's goal is to win the entire tournament. He explained that the team has been practicing really hard to achieve the results they want.
Eder claimed that the team also has great chemistry and teamwork, qualities which are expected to reflect in their performance. The player expressed confidence that with their gameplay and determination, the team will score more goals than Iceland. Portugal is predicted to win the game making a minimum of two goals.
First Major Tourney for Iceland
In contrast to Portugal's experience with big tournaments like this, this is the first major for the Nordic island country team. The six goals of star player and Swansea midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson during the qualifiers indeed paid off for Iceland.
However, team manager Lars Lagerback said that even if the team loses, they will still have the chance to qualify for the next round.
"If we are performing as we should do I think we have a really good chance to go on from the group stage," he told Sky Sports adding that a loss versus Portugal will not be that bad. "Normally the first game is a lot of a key match, but I don't think this time."
Tuesday's game begins at 8 p.m. at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne. Tickets are sold for $180 to $1900. BBC will air the live game with streaming also available for fans of both teams.
