Portugal vs Israel live on June 9, 2021: How to watch this Euro 2020 warm-up tie in 112 countries

June 9, 2021 By Ali M.

Topics: TV Schedules, Portugal, Israel, International Friendly

The defending champions of Europe take on Israel in their final game before kicking off their Euro 2020 campaign. Here's a preview of Wednesday's friendly.

Preview

The defending champions of Europe wrap up their preparations for Euro 2020 on Wednesday, taking on Israel in their final game before kicking of this summer's tournament. The continental giants will welcome their Middle-Eastern opponents at the Estádio José Alvalade for their 2:45 p.m. ET clash as Fernando Santos looks to secure victory ahead of their highly-anticipated European Championship defense.

Cristiano and Co. head into this tie on the back of their goalless draw with Spain, a fixture which many expected to be an exciting showdown. The entire match saw only one shot on goal as neither Fernando Santos' men nor Luis Enrique's crew could find the breakthrough.

It should be noted that several of Portugal's key players missed out on that tie due to their participation in the two European club finals – the UEFA Champions League and Europa League. Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva were handed rest while Ruben Dias, recently crowned the Premier League Player of the Season, also sat this one out.

Despite missing those key names, Portugal are blessed with an amazing crop of talent that could fill two starting XIs. Diogo Jota, Joao Felix, and Renato Sanches teamed up with Cristiano Ronaldo, a player who despite being in the final stages of his career remains one of the deadliest forwards in world football. Sporting CP sensation Pedro Goncalves was handed a debut in that tie while A Seleção starlet Nuno Mendes was also given some minutes.

Regardless, a lot of work is needed from the defending champions. Portugal have been placed in Group F, the group of death, where they will battle it out with fellow continental giants France and Germany for one of two automatic qualifications. A third-placed finish could still earn them a spot in the round of 16 but Fernando Santos cannot place his eggs in that basket. Hungary, the side whom they drew 3-3 with in the final game of the 2016 group stage, will be their first opponent and it will be crucial for them to kick things off with a win in order to set the right tone.

Since missing out on a spot in Euro 2020 thanks to their playoffs defeat vs Scotland, Israel have enjoyed an upturn in form. Since then, the Blue and Whites have suffered only three defeats in the subsequent eight fixtures while registering commendable wins against Scotland (in the UEFA Nations League), Slovakia, and Montenegro. Will Portugal be their next victim or will Cristiano and Co. prove to be a hill too high to climb? Tune in to Wednesday's game for the answer to that question.

Team news

Portugal: Fortunately, none of Fernando Santos' men caught COVID-19 after facing off against Sergio Busquets' Spain side. Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva are likely to feature so as to get up to speed in time for the Hungary showdown.

Israel: The visitors will likely look to Eran Zahavi and Manor Solomon for inspiration as they aim to beat Portugal. Bibras Natkho is set to captain his nation once more while Gadi Kinda could earn more minutes after scoring in the win over Montenegro.

Key stats

This will be only the seventh meeting between these two nations.
Israel have managed only one win against their European rivals, losing three and drawing once.
Portugal have lost only once in their last 14 outings (W9 D4).
The reigning champions of Europe have registered seven clean sheets from their last nine home fixtures.