That defeat did not stop the Selecao topping Group F and landing a last-16 draw against Slovenia, which qualified as one of the best third-placed teams.

However, it is now on the same side of the knockout bracket as France, Belgium, Germany and Spain, and knows it will likely have to beat multiple heavyweights if it is to go all the way.

At its previous major tournament, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Portugal set the record for the biggest margin of victory in a Round of 16 match, trouncing Switzerland 6-1.

It was, however, beaten 2-0 when it previously met Slovenia in a friendly in March, leading Pepe to expect a tough test.

"Portugal were among the best teams statistically in the group stage," he said. "From the first game here in Germany to the last, the fans have always been with us.

"We know it's going to be a very difficult game, not least because of our recent history.

"It's about avoiding making the mistakes we made in that defeat back in March so that we can come out on top.

"We know it's going to be a very difficult journey. It's going to be tough, but we all have to be together."

This will be Slovenia's first match in the knockout stages at a major tournament, and the 26th such match for Portugal. Since its triumphant UEFA Euro 2016 campaign, Portugal has lost three of its four knockout matches at major tournaments, winning one.

It will once again look to Cristiano Ronaldo to carry the attacking burden, but this is the first major tournament in his career in which he failed to net in the group stage, in his 11th participation overall.

Pepe, however, has told fans not to worry about the form of their captain.

"Cristiano lives for goals, that's a fact. But have you seen his availability on the pitch to help the national team? It's incredible," the 41-year-old said.

"He's the player with the most minutes in our team, at 39 years old.

"He's doing very well. He'll do very well in the final stages of the European championship. I'm certain he will give us a lot of joy."

Opta's supercomputer has given Portugal a 76 per cent chance of progressing to the quarter-finals. Ahead of the first set of knockout fixtures, only England and Spain (both 82 per cent) were seen as more likely qualifiers.

Despite its slip-up against Georgia, which came with a much-changed starting line-up, Portugal ranked second for both possession share (67 per cent) and total shots (53) in the group stage, behind Germany (69 per cent, 57 shots).

Defeat on matchday three halted a run of 12 consecutive wins in competitive action. However, it has not lost back-to-back competitive matches since UEFA Euro 2008, when it lost 0-2 to Switzerland in the group stage and 2-3 versus Germany in the quarter-finals.

Another player to watch in Selecao colours could be Vitinha, who leads all of his team-mates for line-breaking passes (29) at this tournament. 

His pass completion rate under high pressure is also the highest of any player for his country (90 per cent – minimum 50 attempted). 

The Paris Saint-Germain man is brimming with confidence and his quality could be key against a Slovenia side likely to dig in, just as it did in group-stage draws with Denmark and England.