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But will Cristiano Ronaldo care ?

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Updated: June 18, 2016
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The Leicester City defender believes a great spectacle will play out when Austria lock horns with Group F counterparts Portugal at the Parc des Princes on Saturday
 

Austria captain Christian Fuchs believes Saturday’s Euro 2016 meeting with Portugal in Paris will leave Cristiano Ronaldo satisfied from an entertainment point of view.

Ronaldo criticised Iceland for having a “small mentality” after the minnows claimed a shock 1-1 draw with Portugal in their Group F opener due to perceived defensive tactics.

Fuchs and his team-mates suffered an even bigger setback as they were reduced to 10 men in a chastening 2-0 loss to neighbours Hungary, but the Leicester City left-back expects an ambitious display on Saturday.

“I didn’t hear his comments to be fair,” Fuchs said of Ronaldo’s Iceland remarks, which were defended by Portugal coach Fernando Santos.

“It’s not our way of playing, to defend only. We would like to play a good game and like to play football.

“We do whatever it takes, whatever the game needs, but it is not our way just to defend.

“Against Portugal, with all their stars, we will obviously defend in some periods of the game.

“But we are there to score a few goals and I want to win this game. That’s why it is going to be a nice game to watch tomorrow.”

Fuchs tangled with Ronaldo previously during his time with Schalke, scoring at the Santiago Bernabeu in a 4-3 win as the Bundesliga side missed out 5-4 on aggregate in March last year – a match in which the three-time Ballon d’Or winner hit a vital first-half brace.

He might not be directly confronted by Ronaldo too often in the French capital, with the superstar forward filling a predominantly central attacking role as he awaits a record-breaking 128th Portuguese cap.

Nevertheless, Fuchs feels strength in numbers is the way to go for Austria in their attempts to deal with Ronaldo.

“It’s going to be a tough challenge. I know him, I had a few games against him with Schalke a few years back,” the Premier League winner added.

“You can never really defend him for the whole game. You have to defend him as a team. You have to avoid one v ones and get two v ones or more players.

“Then there is the problem that you might forget the other players around him. This team is not just Cristiano Ronaldo.

“It is a great team with a lot of class players like Nani and Pepe, who has just won the Champions League.

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