The 2024 UEFA European Championship continues this afternoon with Portugal taking on Czechia in a Group F contest. This meeting concludes the first round of games in the group stages and it could decide the top spot in the final group to kick off in Germany.

Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany plays host to this massive matchup. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. CT (9 p.m. CET) on Tuesday. Fox will have nationwide coverage in the United States. Let’s break down the odds.

2024 UEFA European Championship preview: Portugal vs. Czechia odds, prediction, best bet

Portugal is in spotty form at the moment considering it rattled off 10 consecutive wins in European qualifiers in 2023. A Seleção das Quinas has won three and lost two in the build-up to Euro 2024, but oddsmakers haven’t allowed this to impact its future odds. Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. have the fourth-shortest odds on the board (+600) at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Meanwhile, Czechia — also known as the Czech Republic — is riding a seven-game unbeaten run coming into its toughest test. Národní tým is perhaps the second-strongest team in Group F. If the Czechs manage to advance to the knockout stages, it’ll be the third time they’ve done so in their last four European Championship campaigns.

Let’s take a closer look at the odds and trends ahead of this highly anticipated UEFA European Championship clash:

Portugal vs. Czechia

Time/TV: Tuesday, June 18 at 2 p.m. CT (Fox)

Location: Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany

Moneyline: Portugal -210 | Draw +330 | Czechia +600

Analysis: Portugal is a heavy chalk favorite in this meeting for a reason. Roberto Martinez has one of the deepest, most experienced squads at the Euros. The coach’s experience is also worth mentioning as he finished third at the 2018 World Cup and reached the quarterfinals of Euro 2020 with Belgium.

Martinez’s tactical flexibility makes A Seleção das Quinas an even more difficult opponent. He can set his team up to play in a back three or back four, depending on his attacking personnel. Seeing as Ronaldo is a shoo-in to start in a major tournament, expect a back three from the Portuguese with Rafael Leao partnering him up top.

This set-up will allow Portugal to lean on perhaps its biggest strength, its midfield. A Seleção das Quinas will look to control a majority of the possession, as it has done in every game dating back to its 6-1 win over Switzerland at the 2022 World Cup. Martinez’s team is averaging 66.9% possession in its last 10 matches, which can feel suffocating for opponents.

Luckily, Ivan Hasek’s team is comfortable playing without the ball. Czechia proved in a recent friendly against Norway that it can be clinical with a minority of possession. Národní tým mustered up more shots and shots on target than Norway in the 2-1 win, despite seeing only 40.5% of the ball.

Perhaps the biggest problem for Czechia is its lack of experience. West Ham United duo Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal are the most-capped players with 69 and 42 appearances respectively. None of the Czech goalkeepers have more than 10 international outings between the sticks.

Nevertheless, there is a reason to be excited about Národní tým’s attack with Bayer Leverkusen duo Adam Hlozek and Patrik Schick leading the line. The latter was the joint-leading scorer at Euro 2020 with his counterpart in this contest, Ronaldo.

Some of the tournament’s heaviest favorites have struggled in recent days. England had its hands full with Serbia and France needed an own goal to get by Austria. I believe it’ll be a similar story for Portugal against a stubborn Czechia side, but in the end, A Seleção das Quinas’ quality will shine through.

Prediction: Portugal 2-1 Czechia

Best bet: Rafael Leao anytime goalscorer (+230 at FanDuel Sportsbook)