Euro 2024: How Portugal will line up against Slovenia

Cameron Smith

• 30 Jun 2024 22:09 BST
• 4 min read

Portugal began the 2024 European Championship as one of the favourites for glory.

Roberto Martinez’s side were the only nation to win every single game during qualifying as they blitzed through Group J with a maximum tally of 30 points from 10 games.

Portugal exited the 2022 World Cup after a 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Morocco and will be looking to progress further at this summer’s Euros.

READ MORE: Euro 2024 Draw - Groups, fixtures, knockouts, favourites

Their squad is stacked with bundles of quality and their strength in depth is up there with the very best in world football.

Their 2-1 win over the Czech Republic has put them in good stead, as did their 3-0 thumping over Turkey. They sealed top spot in Group F, despite a defeat to Georgia in their final group game.

Below, FootballTransfers predicts Portugal’s first-choice starting XI for their last-16 match against Slovenia.

READ MORE: Euro 2024 top scorers

How Portugal will line up at Euro 2024

Porto shot-stopper Diogo Costa is now firmly Portugal’s first-choice goalkeeper and he will be deployed in between the sticks. Jose Sa and Rui Patricio will act as back-ups to the 24-year-old.

Portugal’s depth across the entire pitch is remarkable and their options in defence are plentiful. Joao Cancelo will play as one of the full-backs, but the other slot is up for grabs.

Diogo Dalot, Nelson Semedo and Nuno Mendes could all start, although the latter is probably the most likely, meaning Cancelo will play on the right.

Martinez has played a back three at the tournament, meaning this is also an option.

Manchester City’s Ruben Dias is a nailed-on starter at centre-back and veteran Pepe is expected to remain his first-choice partner.

In midfield, Martinez was expected to opt for the assured defensive presence of Fulham’s Joao Palhinha, but he played just 90 minutes during the group stage - coming off at half-time versus both Turkey and Georgia.

However, he will likely start next to Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes in the middle of the park.

Bernardo Silva will start as Portugal’s preferred right winger, while AC Milan superstar Rafael Leao will play on the left flank.

Goncalo Ramos displaced Cristiano Ronaldo during the 2022 World Cup, but the Al-Nassr forward is first-choice once again and is a guaranteed starter.

Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid) and Diogo Jota (Liverpool) could also come into the starting XI during the tournament.

Portugal’s predicted XI vs Slovenia

GK: Diogo Costa

RB: Joao Cancelo

CB: Pepe

CB: Ruben Dias

LB: Joao Cancelo

CM: Joao Palhinha

CM: Vitinha

CM: Bruno Fernandes

RW: Bernardo Silva

ST: Cristiano Ronaldo

LW: Rafael Leao

Portugal's Euro 2024 squad

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Jose Sa (Wolves), Rui Patricio (AS Roma).

Defenders: Antonio Silva (Benfica), Danilo Pereira (Paris St Germain), Diogo Dalot (Man Utd), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Nelson Semedo (Wolves), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Pepe (Porto), Ruben Dias (Man City).

Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Neves (Benfica), Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Mathues Nunes (Man City), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal), Vitinha (PSG).

Forwards: Bernardo Silva (Man City), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr), Diogo Jota (Liverpool), Francisco Conceicao (Porto), Goncalo Ramos (PSG), Joao Felix (Barcelona), Pedro Neto (Wolves), Rafael Leao (AC Milan).