This may not be a battle of Lionel Messi against Cristiano Ronaldo, but any time Argentina square off with Portugal is worth watching and the 2016 Olympic men's soccer tournament is no exception.
Portugal vs. Argentina 2016 live stream: How to watch Olympic soccer online
Argentina and Portugal take their informal rivalry to the Olympics with a group stage-opening tilt.
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The match starts at 5 p.m. ET, and will be shown in the U.S. on NBCSN, and online on NBCOlympics.com and NBC Sports Live Extra.
Argentina have long been one of the best teams at this level of the game, but Portugal won’t be an easy foe to beat. They qualified for this tournament by being the runners-up in the UEFA U-21 Championship last summer, beating England and Germany by wide margins along the way. Both teams have tough defenses, flair-filled midfields, and attacks hungry for goals -- and that will make for a fun, fun game.
Key player -- Bruno Fernandes (Portugal)
Fernandes may not be the most talented player on the pitch in this game, but he's got skills for days and is one of the hardest workers in the entire tournament. His versatile skillset will let Portugal approach the game in a few different ways if they so choose, and his already significant experience in a first team squad at a fairly high level will be a major asset to his team. He's their captain for a reason, and Portugal's performance definitely hinges on him.
Key matchup -- Lucas Romero (Argentina) vs. Sergio Oliveira (Portugal)
Romero is a key figure in this Argentina side as a hard-grinding defensive midfielder. Given all the talent in Portugal’s midfield, led by Fernandes and significantly aided by Oliveira, Romero is going to be an extremely busy man in this match. Oliveira especially will be looking to unsettle him as he races forward to penetrate into the final third and disrupt Argentina’s defensive efforts. Romero has the ability to stop him, but consistency has been an issue for him during his young career -- if he’s off his game, Argentina are in trouble.
Match Date/Time: Thursday, 5 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. local
Venue: Olympic Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
TV: NBCSN (U.S. - English), NBC Universo (U.S. - Spanish), ESPN 2 Latin America, Canal 7, TyC Sports (Argentina), Sport TV2, RTP 1 (Portugal)
Online: NBCOlympics.com, NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.), ESPN Play Latin America, Fox Play Latin America (Argentina)
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