Cristiano Ronaldo in training ahead of Austria tie. Twitter[/caption]Internet Desk: Both Portugal and Austria are looking to rebound from disappointing Euro 2016 openers that saw Cristiano Ronaldo & Co. draw with Iceland, while Austria were stunned by Hungary.
Coach Fernando Santos has implemented a 4-4-2 with the front two wingers playing as "false" mobile centre-forwards, but it is still down the channels where Portugal look to attack, through midfielders Joao Mario and Andre Gomes.
The latter enjoyed his finest game in a Portugal shirt against Iceland and set up Nani's goal after excellent combination play and a precise cross. The immensely promising Gomes will be looking to cement his place as a regular starter, and should he win his duel with Premier League winning left-back Cristian Fuchs, it would go a long way to becoming a mainstay in the lineup.
Beside being under pressure after losing their first match, Austria also got another problem. Their best defender Aleksandar Dragovic is suspended, so who is going to replace him? There were rumours that David Alaba could replace him, but Koller has denied that. Many English fans may think of Kevin Wimmer, but Koller seems to favour Sebastian Prodl.
Whoever will replace Dragovic will have to be very focused and always on the lookout against the Real Madrid superstar. The whole defence will have to be more careful against Ronaldo and Nani, who will also cause a lot of trouble.
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