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Euro 2016 did not start well for Austria - the national team with the greatest concentration of past and present Red Bull soccer players on its roster. Opening a major tournament with a loss is never good; losing 2-0 to your oldest rival compounds the bad feeling.
And the Austrians will have to get by in this game with some significant changes to the starting lineup. Defender Aleksander Dragovic will serve his suspension for the red card against Hungary that was part of the sequence of events that flipped Austria from favorite-to-win to likely-loser in the last match. Werder Bremen's Zlatko Junuzovic has an injury that sounds serious:
Zlatko Junuzović definitely out of Portugal game. Partial tear of right ankle ligaments. Blow for #AUT . #PORAUT #EURO2016
— Daniel Thacker (@UEFAcomDanielT) June 16, 2016
For Austria to advance, first and foremost it must get some points. A loss to Portugal could see the Austrians out of Euro 2016 (depending on the result of the preceding Iceland-Hungary game). A draw will keep mathematical hope of advancing alive. A win puts them back in the mix in Group F.
Of course, Portugal - who suffered the indignity of being held to a draw by Iceland in their opening game - will have a say in the match. Cristiano Ronaldo tends to have the effect of making any team he plays for the favorite to win any particular game, and so it is on this occasion.
It's not quite win-or-go-home for Austria, but it's definitely don't-lose-or-start-packing-your-bags.