Bruno Fernandes warns Slovenia that Portugal are prepared to "hurt" them in Euro 2024 clash
Bruno Fernandes has warned Euros upstarts Slovenia that they may have inadvertently provided Portugal with the perfect preparation for their last-16 meeting.
The minnows reached the knockout stages of a major tournament for the very first time with their goalless draw against England, and they are currently enjoying a nine-game unbeaten run.
One of those matches was a 2-0 win over Portugal in the first ever meeting between the countries in a friendly in Ljubljana in March, and Manchester United captain Fernandes says that result means he and his side will know what to expect.
“This team has very high quality players, and we respect them,” said Fernandes. “We had this friendly where they beat us, and this has to put us on our toes.
“We have an idea of what we can do. I didn’t play in the friendly but I have watched the game, and we have spoken about the game in recent days. It’s good for us to have the images from that game. They had a great game, but we’ve had a chance to see what we can do differently to hurt them.”
Marathon man Fernandes was left out of Portugal’s final game of the group stages, the 2-0 defeat to Georgia, but he will return in Frankfurt to play his 61st match for club and country since the beginning of the last Premier League season.
Slovenia beat Portugal 2-0 in a friendly in March
He has dismissed fears of burnout though, and instead says that actually enjoys playing in so many matches as it keeps him in rhythm. Explaining his secrets behind playing so regularly, he said: “Maybe resting, a lot of power naps. That helps!
“I enjoy the constant competition. Sometimes I’ll ask the technical staff how to find the right balance and be at my best. But I like to compete, and if I play a competitive game every three days I feel I am more prepared mentally and physically for the hardships of every game. Also my love for this beautiful game helps me always be ready to play for my national team or club.”
Fernandes is confident his side have learned from that defeat
Fernandes scored Portugal’s third goal on his most recent appearance in the group stage win over Turkey, when he was set up by Cristiano Ronaldo. That assist from the Portugal captain has, like a lot of things Ronaldo does, become one of the most fervent talking points from the tournament on social media, but Fernandes says he wasn’t surprised by it.
“There are many images of Cristiano assisting team-mates,” said Fernandes. “Cristiano isn’t just focused on shooting or scoring. After the game I said if he’d shot we’d have had the same result, it’s just that he’d have scored. “The most important thing is that we win.”
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