Euro 2012 has reached the knock-out stages of the tournament, with the Czech Republic, Portugal, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Italy and England surviving the group phase and preparing to fight for a spot in the semi-finals.

The first quarter-final clash is between the Czechs and Portugal on Thursday, with Michal Bilek's side topping Group A following two victories and one defeat in the early stages of the campaign.

Portugal have emerged as outside favourites following their convincing 2-1 win over the Netherlands, which secured them second spot in Group B adrift of Germany.

Both sides have key men that can make an impact on the contest with Czech striker Milan Baros always a threat, while goalkeeper Petr Cech will be required to stop any attempts on goal from Paulo Bento's side.

Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably Portugal's best player and following the Real Madrid winger's brace against the Netherlands, it appears that the former Manchester United star is coming into his own in Poland and Ukraine.

Bilek is expected to call on Theodor Selassie and David Limbersky to fill in the full-back spots and provide vital support to Petr Jiracek and Vaclav Pilar down the wings. However, it is likely that skipper Tomas Rosicky will be sidelined through injury, which is a potential blow for the Czechs.

Meanwhile, Bento is likely to keep a 4-3-3 formation with Ronaldo, Nani and Helder Postiga pushing up front while Miguel Veloso should be implemented to shield the back four.

Recent form:

Czech Republic: DWLLWW
Portugal: DDLLWW

Possible lineups:

Czech Republic: Cech; Selassie, Sivoc, Kadlec, Limbersky; Hubschman, Plasil; Jiracek, Kolar, Pilar; Baros

Portugal: Patricio; Pereira, Pepe, Bruno Alves, Coentrao; Moutinho, Veloso, Meireles; Ronaldo, Postiga, Nani

Sports Mole says: 1-2