The Euro 2016 quarterfinals kick off in Marseille on Thursday, with Poland taking on Portugal at the Stade Vélodrome. Both sides head into this game having had to recover from 120 minutes of mental and physical exhaustion in the first knockout round: Poland saw off Switzerland in a tense penalty shootout, while Portugal avoided the stress of spot-kicks only by virtue of a fortuitous last-gasp goal in extra time against Croatia. Both sides will be hoping that they've had sufficient rest in the interim.
Poland vs. Portugal, Euro 2016: Time, TV schedule and team news for quarterfinals
Poland take on Portugal on Thursday as the Euro 2016 quarterfinals begin.
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Poland have arguably looked the more impressive of the two teams so far, with Arkadiusz Milik and Robert Lewandowski forming a thoroughly impressive strike duo, and Bartosz Kapustka emerging as one of the tournament’s top young talents. However, Portugal have the advantage of the tournament’s best individual star in their ranks in Cristiano Ronaldo. When you’ve got him on the team, you’ve always got a chance.
Key player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Ronaldo hasn’t had the best of tournaments so far, though it’s not for the want of trying. With some slightly better fortune, the Real Madrid attacker could’ve been sitting at the top of the goalscoring charts. As it is, a brace in their group stage draw with Hungary is the only time he’s managed to get himself on the scoresheet so far. He’ll doubtless be looking to change that here.
Key matchup: The wide battle
Both of these sides line up in fluid 4-4-2s, though Poland have tended to play with slightly more conventional wingers out on the flanks. Portugal coach Fernando Santos, in contrast, has shown a tendency to field central players like André Gomes and João Mario out wide, with lateral movement of forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani providing the width. It'll be fascinating to see if Poland can capitalise on Portugal's isolated full-backs here.
Match date/time: Thursday, 3 p.m. ET, 9 p.m. local
Venue: Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France
TV: ESPN2 (U.S. - English); ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish); TSN, RDS (Canada); ITV 1 (UK); Belarus TV, Polsat TV, Polsat Sport (Poland); RTP 1, Sport TV1 (Portugal)
Online: Watch ESPN (U.S.); TSN Live Streaming (Canada); ITV Hub (UK)
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