Portugal’s 26-man squad has been announced by head coach Roberto Martinez in anticipation of the UEFA Nations League quarter-final first-leg match against Denmark at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on Thursday. Martinez has a multitude of other attacking options at his disposal, while captain
Cristiano Ronaldo has been included and is set to earn his 218th international cap up front at the ripe old age of 40. Rafael Leao and Pedro Neto are perhaps the two most probable candidates to join Ronaldo in a front three, despite the fact that they are up against Joao Felix, Diogo Jota, Goncalo Ramos, and Francisco Trincao. In the interim, 17-year-old winger Geovany Quenda, who has purportedly agreed to join
Chelsea from Sporting Lisbon, has received his first senior call-up and may make his debut in some capacity on Thursday. Bruno Fernandes was issued a one-match suspension following Portugal’s 1-1 draw with Croatia in their most recent match in November. However, the Manchester United player is eligible to return against Denmark and is expected to start in midfield alongside Vitinha and Joao Neves of Paris Saint-Germain.
Ruben Dias could be partnered at the centre of the defence by either Antonio Silva or Goncalo Inacio, protecting goalkeeper Diogo Costa, while Nuno Mendes and Diogo Dalot operate as full-backs. The potential starting lineup for Portugal is as follows: Costa; Dalot, A. Silva, Dias, Mendes; Vitinha, Neves; Neto, Fernandes, Leao; Ronaldo
Leave a Reply