The Croatians were arguably the best team in the first stage in France, taking top spot in Group D after amassing seven points from their three encounters. Ante Cacic's men kicked off their campaign with a convincing 1-0 defeat of Turkey, a game they dominated from start to finish and were unfortunate not to win by a wider margin. They then followed that up with an even better display against Czech Republic, goals from Ivan Perisic and Ivan Rakitic giving Croatia a 2-0 lead that they did not look like relinquishing.
The actions of a handful of supporters disrupted their rhythm late on, however - flares were thrown onto the pitch in act of protest against the country's football federation - and the Czechs snatched a draw after netting twice in the final 15 minutes. Croatia bounced back in ideal fashion in their next outing, though, overcoming holders Spain by two goals to one despite resting a number of key players. Not only did that victory lift them into first place, it alerted the rest of the continent to their potential to challenge for the trophy this summer.
Portugal's results in the group stage were nowhere near as impressive as Croatia's, with Cristiano Ronaldo and co. held to three draws by Iceland, Austria and Hungary in what was - on paper at least - one of the weaker groups. It is worth remembering that Fernando Santos' men actually played very well for long periods of every match, though, with poor finishing rather than below-par performances their undoing against Iceland and Austria.
Portugal should therefore not be written off despite the fact they are yet to record a single win in France, with Ronaldo likely to be particularly dangerous this weekend after rediscovering his clinical touch in front of goal by netting a brace in the entertaining 3-3 draw against Hungary last time out. Youngsters such as Joao Mario, Raphael Guerreiro and Andre Gomes will have benefited from their first few encounters at an international tournament, too, so Portugal will still be a dangerous proposition going forward.
Saturday's meeting has the potential to be one of the most enjoyable of the first knockout round, with both sides impressing with their overall showings in the group stage. On balance, though, it is probably worth backing Croatia to come out on top at the Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis: Cacic's side have played the better football so far and are a more cohesive unit than Portugal, who will have to be far more lethal when it comes to converting their opportunities.
Perisic looks to be the best choice for first goalscorer, with Nani another option after the former Manchester United man's two strikes in Group F. Over 3.5 goals to be scored in total is another wager that is worthy of consideration given both teams' strength going forward and relative weakness at the back.
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