Three players to watch on day five of Euro 2016
Tuesday 14 June 2016 22:16, UK
Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal get their Euro 2016 Group F campaign under way against Iceland on day five of Euro 2016 on Tuesday.
All eyes will be on Ronaldo at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne, but he's not the only Portuguese star to keep an eye out for.
In the day's only other game, also in Group F, Austria face Hungary in Bordeaux's Matmut Atlantique, with the latter looking to kick off their first European Championship since 1972 with a win.
Julian Baumgartlinger (AUSTRIA v Hungary, 5pm, Bordeaux)
After helping Mainz to sixth in the Bundesliga, Baumgartlinger secured a move to rivals Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The 28 year-old impressed throughout last term - in a season which saw Mainz record one of their highest league finishes - and with 115 tackles in the Bundesliga, he managed to better any of his fellow professionals in the division.
The defensive midfielder is a certain starter for the Austrians and is known as a tenacious and energetic performer. His strength in the air and ball retention are big pluses, as well as his diligence and defensive recovery rate, both of which are highly impressive. Playing in the centre of midfield, Baumgartlinger is most effective when sitting in the hole, breaking up play.
Gylfi Sigurdsson (Portugal v ICELAND, 8pm, Saint-Etienne)
Ronaldo would be the obvious choice as Portugal's talisman, but Swansea City's Gylfi Sigurdsson plays a similar role for Iceland. The former Tottenham playmaker outscored Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Burak Yilmaz and Robin van Persie to help Iceland qualify second to Czech Republic, earning their first ever spot at a European Championships.
"He is what I call a two-way midfielder, he plays when you attack but also when your team doesn't have the ball," said manager Lars Lagerback. "That is what makes him unique. I would say he could play in any team."
He single-handedly put Netherlands to the sword, scoring all three goals in 2-0 and 1-0 victories, but his role for Iceland is that of a box-to-box midfielder. He'll need to cover every blade of grass for Iceland to star in France.
Joao Moutinho - (PORTUGAL v Iceland, 8pm, Saint-Etienne)
Yes, Ronaldo is THE one to watch, but that's a little too obvious when looking at Fernando Santos' squad. The man that makes them tick, and will ultimately influence whether Ronaldo can live up to his billing as favourite for the Golden Boot, will be Portugal's on-field tactician, Joao Moutinho.
The Monaco midfielder, who is heading to his third European Championships, didn't enjoy his best campaign at club level as injuries disrupted his season, but he's now fit and set to play a key role in Santos' midfield.
"This group is not easy like most people think," he said last month. "We will take every game seriously and I'm sure we can win the tournament."
