Group A Previews Czech Republic v Portugal

BOTH TEAMS are in a strong position after winning their opening games but the difference is the Portuguese played well at the weekend while their opponents this evening still have quite a bit to prove after being lucky to take all three points against Switzerland.

Veteran coach Karel Bruckner concedes the side needs to generate a little more attacking impetus but insists Jan Koller was not to blame for the side's inability to pose a threat through the first half in Basle where the team simply failed to get the ball to him.

For this game then, he faces a dilemma with his defence likely to be more stretched by the Portuguese than it was by the Swiss, with Ronaldo a major threat. But his attack needs to be shored up if Pepe and Ricardo Carvalho are to be put under any sort of serious pressure. Midfielder Jaroslav Plasil acknowledges the Manchester United winger is a big concern.

"Of course it's important not to give him any space," he says. "We will have to go double on him, and that will be one of the key points in the match. He's a very good footballer and he has had a very good season. It's going to be a huge challenge but it's not just up to me to stop him, but the whole team."

Actually Bruckner might drop Plasil in order to play an extra striker, most likely Milan Baros rather than Saturday's goalscorer Vaclav Sverkos.

When Luis Felipe Scolari names his team, meanwhile, he is expected to stick with the 11 players that started against the Turks, with Simao preferred again to Ricardo Quaresma.

A draw would probably do both sides but a win would almost certainly mean qualification for the next round and the chance to rest players on Sunday evening.