The European Championships qualifiers are almost done, but Group I still has some things to be shaken out. Portugal sit on top of the group but still have some work to do to secure that place -- and they have a very tough opponent coming in to fight them in Denmark. They’ve already beaten Denmark once, but it was a brutally tough match that it took them deep into injury time to emerge victorious from.
Portugal vs. Denmark live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch Euro 2016 qualifying
Denmark need a win in a bad way, but have to go to first-place Portugal to do it.
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The other trouble for Portugal in this match is that Denmark are desperate for a win. Because of the odd structure of this group -- Euro hosts France are “in” the group, but their matches don’t count in the standings -- both Portugal and third-place Albania have a game in hand on Denmark, making this the Danes’ last match that counts for group points. With Albania only a point behind Denmark and holding that game in hand, the Danes know they have to find some way, any way, to win this match in order to try to hold on to second place and avoid the third-place playoff round. They want to guarantee a place in Euro 2016, not take a chance on a kind draw. Denmark will still need a little help from Armenia and Serbia even if they win, but the only thing they have control over is the result of this match, right here, and right now.
Key player -- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Come on. Who else could this be? As goes Ronaldo, so goes Portugal. They’re a talented team, but Ronaldo’s generational talent is a step above anyone else on the pitch, and how he performs will dictate the final result. Simply put: if Ronaldo is invested and focused in this match, Portugal will win. That hasn’t always appeared to be the case this season, with Ronaldo scoring a ton of goals in some matches and barely appearing involved in others for Madrid, but Portugal will be hoping for a focused and driven Ronaldo in this match. Denmark will just be hoping to find a way to slow him down.
Key Matchup -- Bruno Alves (Portugal) vs. Nicklas Bendtner (Denmark)
Bendtner hasn’t exactly been in sterling form for Wolfsburg this season, but he has a long-standing reputation for playing well for Denmark no matter his club form. Alves is going to have to work hard to keep him in check, though Alves has had his own struggles this season as age seems to be catching up to him. Bendtner’s size and athleticism could be a problem for Alves if the big Dane gets rolling, so keep an eye on how this battle plays out, especially later in this first half as Alves’ legs might be starting to wear down.
Match Date/Time: Thursday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Estadio Municipal, Braga, Portugal
TV: ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), Kanal 5 (Denmark), RTP 1 (Portugal), ITV 4 (U.K.), RTP Internacional
Online: ESPN 3, Watch ESPN (U.S.), Sky Go (U.K.)
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