Cristiano Ronaldo leads Portugal against Czech Republic at Euro 2024 in the final game of the first round of group fixtures in Germany.
Roberto Martinez’s unexpected decision over Ronaldo has seen the Selecao bolster their credentials as one of the competition’s favourites. The Portuguese have one of the most talented squads at the tournament, with a balance of experience – brought by players such as Ronaldo, Pepe, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva – mixing with the exciting talent of youngsters including Goncalo Inacio, Rafael Leao and Joao Neves.
Though they won Euro 2016, the Selecao are looking to add to their disappointingly empty trophy cabinet, having notably lost on home soil to Greece in the final of 2004.
The Czech Republic enter the tournament with little expectation despite a strong showing at Euro 2020, where Patrik Schick finished as joint-top scorer as they went out to Denmark in the quarter-finals. They’ll be hoping for a similarly strong performance this time round, with the added experience of players such as Tomas Soucek and Adam Hlozek potentially vital.
Follow all the latest news and match action in our live blog below, as well as the reaction to the day’s other games:
Turkey vs Georgia early team news?
Turkey have lost several players to injury in the lead-up to their opener, with defenders Caglar Soyuncu, Ozan Kabak and Ridvan Yilmaz all ruled out. In attack, Enes Unal, Cengiz Under and Umut Nayir are all injured, leaving space for players including Guler and Yildiz.
Expect Turkish mainstays including Demiral, Calhanoglu and Burak Yilmaz to start.
For Georgia, defender Solomon Kvirkvelia and midfielder Otar Kiteishvili are both doubts, but the rest of the squad is fit. Along with talisman Kvaratskhelia, expect Valencia keeper Mamardashvili to start, along with Watford’s Chakvetadze.
Mike Jones18 June 2024 12:38
How to watch Turkey vs Georgia
The fixture will kick off at 5pm BST on Tuesday 18 June at the BVB Stadion Dortmund.
Turkey vs Georgia will be shown live on BBC 1 and iPlayer, with coverage starting at 4.30pm. You can find a full list of which channel is showing each match here.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Mike Jones18 June 2024 12:32
Is Turkey v Georgia on TV? Channel, start time and how to watch Euro 2024 fixture online today
Vincenzo Montella has a talented squad at his disposal, with players such as Real Madrid’s Arda Guler and Benfica’s Orkun Kokcu looking to make their mark on the tournament after Turkey finished bottom of their group at Euro 2020.
They’ll be hoping to emulate their performance at Euro 2008, when a squad led by Semih Senturk reached the semi-finals.
And they face a Georgia side who are taking part in their first-ever international tournament after the minnows beat Greece on penalties in the qualification play-offs. Led by Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, they’ll hope to spring a few surprises of their own in their first opportunity to shine in the continental spotlight.
Mike Jones18 June 2024 12:26
Good afternoon!
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of Euro 2024. There are two matches taking place today with the first being a Group F clash between Turkey and Georgia.
Turkey underperformed at Euro 2020 after being backed as that tournament’s dark horses and will want to improve this time around. However they come into the competition in rotten form and will hope to build some momentum against Georgia today.
For their part, Georgia are playing in their first ever European Championship. They came through the play-offs to make it into the tournament proper and have been placed in a group they can potential get through. To do so they would need to get a positive result against Turkey this evening.
Kick off is at 5pm and we’ll have all the build-up throughout the day so stick with us.
Mike Jones18 June 2024 12:24