Portugal will want to show they are not just all about Cristiano Ronaldo when they open their Euro 2016 campaign with a difficult matchup against Iceland. With three teams quite capable of topping the table from Group F, neither Portugal nor Iceland will want to give anything away in their first match in Saint-Etienne.
Both Portugal and Iceland will know what to expect from their other two group opponents, considering Austria and Hungary play in the first match of the day. If Austria, as expected, turn on the style and see off the Hungary challenge, there will be that extra bit of pressure on the two teams playing at the Stade Geoffroy Goichard to pick up a victory on Tuesday.
Get the highlights and goals of the match HERE
As good as Iceland were in qualifying, this is their first major tournament appearance, and with Portugal having a certain best player of the world candidate in their lineup, the latter will know they will be the team that everyone expects to win. With that comes pressure, and how they handle it will have an impact on the result of the game.
"The players can't wait to get started," Portugal manager Fernando Santos was quoted as saying by UEFA's official website. "It goes without saying that we want to have a good Euro and in order to achieve that our aim is still the same. We go into every match to win.
"[Iceland] are strong, tactically well organised and they know exactly how to act in defence and in attack. They will do everything to break Portugal's will to win the match and they've got every right to do so."
While Portugal and Ronaldo have the pressure of being the favourites for this match, what will make or break Iceland is how their players cope under the cauldron of tournament football. Some teams come to life under such circumstances, while some shrink, putting in one tame performance after another. There is plenty of experience in this Iceland squad, albeit without ever playing in such an environment, and Lars Lagerback and Helmir Hallgrimsson, the two joint managers, will hope that experience helps the team to go the "come to life" way.
"Psychologically I would think they want to knock us out of our stride as soon as possible," Hallgrimsson said. "It's no surprise they picked Norway and Estonia to play (in international friendlies) before the finals – both play similarly to us.
"They come into this game brimming with confidence. They are not a team that play only one way so it's difficult to play against them. In return, we can't play just one kind of defensive style against them. There is a lot to look out for, but, hopefully, we have prepared well enough.
Where to Watch Live
Portugal vs Iceland is set to begin at 9 p.m. local time (12.30 a.m. IST, 8 p.m. BST, 3 p.m. ET). Below are all the live streaming and TV information.
India: TV: Sony Six/HD and Sone ESPN/HD. Live Streaming: Sonyliv.
Portugal: TV: RTP and Sport TV.
Iceland: TV: Siminn Sport.
UK: TV: BBC One. Live Streaming: BBCiPlayer.
France: TV: Bein Sports and TF1. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
USA: TV: ESPN 2 and ESPN 3. Live Streaming: Watch ESPN.
Canada: TV: TSN and RDS. Live Streaming: TSN TV.
Australia: TV: Bein Sports and SBS One. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
Germany: TV: ZDF and ORF.
China and Hong Kong: TV: CCTV and LeTV.
Thailand: TV: Channel 3.
Singapore: TV: Eleven Singapore and Singtel. Live Streaming: Singtel Go.
Malaysia: TV: Astro.
Latin America: TV: DirecTV.
Middle East and North Africa: TV: Bein Sports Max. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa: TV: SuperSport 3. Live Streaming: SuperSport
