Scolari's balancing act

As the countdown to UEFA EURO 2004™ gathers pace, uefa.com considers what the coming months might hold for the 16 finalists. Today we look at Portugal.

By Rui Matos Pereira

Portugal's friendly against England at the Algarve stadium in Faro Loulé next month will be the first game played in the region's new stadium, which has been custom-built for UEFA EURO 2004™. But coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has attached even greater significance to the match by saying that it will be an important test of his side's prospects going into the tournament.

Under pressure
As host nation, the pressure on Portugal is immense and the appointment of Scolari, who guided Brazil to FIFA World Cup glory in 2002, has raised expectations even further. But Portugal - who open the finals against Group A opponents Greece on 12 June - have been lacklustre in recent games and Scolari has been criticised for some decisions, especially his continued omission of FC Porto goalkeeper Vítor Baía.

Top quality
Portugal's pedigree is clear, of course. They were semi-finalists in the Low Countries four years ago and the performances of Portuguese clubs in Europe over the last few years have been promising. Porto won the UEFA Cup last season and have progressed to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League this term, while Benfica are in the third round of the UEFA Cup.

Now or never
The national team are arguably at a crossroads, however. Porto's young right-back Paulo Ferreira was named in the uefa.com team of the year and Cristiano Ronaldo, Hélder Postiga and Hugo Viana will all be around for many years to come. But for the so-called 'golden generation', EURO 2004™ may well be the last chance to win a major international tournament. Skipper Fernando Couto will be 35 this year, while key midfield players Rui Costa and Luís Figo both turn 32.

Promising youngsters
Scolari's biggest challenge will be to find the right balance between these experienced players and the promising youngsters. Portugal's Under-21 side are among the favourites to win the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Germany this May and Scolari has already selected a number of these youngsters with Miguel, Tiago, and Ricardo Quaresma all given a chance to impress.

Experience
Whatever he decides, Scolari has shown he can handle pressure. He was under no little strain prior to the World Cup in Korea/Japan. Brazil had struggled to qualify for the competition but Scolari came back from the Far East with the trophy and will know from that experience that tournament performances are the only ones that really count.