Defending champions Netherlands take on Portugal on Matchday 2 of Group C.
Both teams are looking for their first victories of the tournament in Manchester, having each drawn in their first matches.
The Dutch got off to a strong start for Euro 2022 on Saturday, with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against favorites Sweden.
Jonna Andersson opened the scoring in the first half for the Swedes. Jill Roord equalized shortly after the break as Dutch star Vivianne Miedema picked the player of the match.
The Netherlands will be without two key players on Wednesday, however, as captain Sari van Veenendaal and centre-back Aniek Nouwen were out injured against Sweden.
Goalkeeper Van Veenendaal has been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament with a shoulder injury.
Portugal, playing only their second major tournament, started their first group game in disastrous fashion, conceding twice in five minutes to Switzerland.
Strikes from Diana Gomes and Jessica Silva around the hour mark, however, brought Portugal up to speed.
Francisco Neto’s side will be hoping to win their second Euro game, having beaten Scotland 2-1 at Euro 2017.
In the other Group C clash today, Sweden take on Switzerland in Sheffield, with both sides also looking for their first victory of the tournament (kick-off 5.0).
Key statistics
This is the first ever European Championship meeting between the teams. They have met twice before in 2015 World Cup qualifying, with the Netherlands winning both games.
Key players
Danielle van de Donk (Netherlands)
The Dutch winger was a key member of the squad that triumphed at Euro 2017. The 30-year-old scored 36 goals in 66 appearances for PSV, before spending six seasons at Arsenal, where she won the Women’s Super League and the FA Women’s Cup. Now at Lyon, van de Donk won the Women’s Champions League and the French league title last season. She scored eight goals in Euro 2022 qualifying, including a hat-trick against Turkey.
Ana Borges (Portugal)
The 32-year-old could become the most capped Portuguese player in history if she starts on Wednesday. The striker had stints with Atletico Madrid and Chelsea before joining Sporting Lisbon in 2017. She has represented Portugal 136 times since making her debut in 2009. This is her second Euro with Portugal, after having made the team in 2017 where they finished bottom of their group.
what they said
Mark Parsons, Netherlands coach: “They are going to be very difficult. Women’s football (in the Netherlands) continues to rise, and everyone has to be respected. You need to be very focused and turned on, not complacent. We have to be at our best at all times.”
Portugal coach Francisco Neto: In these tournaments, with so few matches, every game and every point is invaluable. We have our way of playing and we are not going to change it. We have this group of players and we wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. The commitment and passion I saw from them as they enjoyed the (Switzerland) game was something I hadn’t felt so much in the past, which makes me a proud coach. “
On TV
Sweden vs. Switzerland, RTÉ2/BBC 2, 5.0
Netherlands v Portugal, RTÉ2/BBC 2, 8.0
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