Euro 2024: Will Cristiano Ronaldo Start Against Georgia? Roberto Martinez Provides Update

• Portugal are through to the knockout stages of the Euro 2024 after wins against the Czech Republic and Turkey
• Cristiano Ronaldo played in both group games in his sixth appearance at the European championships since making his debut in 2004
• Portugal boss Roberto Martinez recently confirmed whether the 39-year-old would feature in Selecao’s final group game against Georgia

Cristiano Ronaldo will get the chance to register his first goal of Euro 2024 when Portugal play Georgia in their final Group F game on Wednesday, June 26, 2024.

With two wins from their opening two games, Selecao are guaranteed top spot in Group F, and their game against Georgia is more of a formality than anything else.

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Ahead of the game in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, there was a feeling among fans that Portugal manager Roberto Martinez would tinker with his squad in preparation for the knockout stages.

However, the manager made a surprise admission at his latest press conference, confirming that Ronaldo would be in the starting lineup for the third game in a row.

“He is an important player. He had a very consistent season and played every match, playing a lot of minutes,” Martinez said, per Metro.

“To continue the competitive pace, it is not a good idea to stop him playing now and then reactivate him in another six days.”

Ronaldo, 39, has played every minute of Portugal’s Euro 2024 campaign but is yet to find the back of the net.

The Al-Nassr star could be joined in attack by Diogo Jota, who only played for half an hour against Czech Republic and was left on the bench for the win against Turkey.

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The Liverpool man is just returning from a minor injury but missed training on Monday. The Portugal coach is still unsure whether Jota will be fit enough for the Georgia game.

Can Georgia qualify for the last 16?

Going into the final Group F games, all three teams—Turkey, Czech Republic, and Georgia—have a chance to advance to the next round.

Turkey needs to avoid defeat against Czech Republic at the Volksparkstadion to go through as group runners-up, while Czech Republic will be guaranteed a place in the last 16 as the best third-placed team at least if they beat their opponents (regardless of Georgia’s result against Portugal).

According to UEFA, Georgia will go through to the last 16 at least as the best third-placed team, if they beat Portugal.

Georgia produces miss of the season

Earlier, Sports Brief reported on how a Georgia player produced a horrible miss against the Czech Republic.

In the fifth minute of added time, the ball was squared to Atlanta United midfielder Saba Lobjanidze, whose effort somehow went over the bar, leaving the crowd at the Volksparkstadion in disbelief.