Danilo broke three ribs during the Saturday training of the national team and will be absent for at least the next two group matches (the one against Uruguay and on Thursday against South Korea). The PSG player is thus replaced by Pepe in the defensive axis, something Fernando Santos has already confirmed. The other change related to the game against Ghana should be the arrival of William to replace Otávio.
Pepe’s start was the only problem around the team that was confirmed on Saturday by Fernando Santos, who explained and regretted the setback that occurred with Danilo, who started alongside Rúben Dias in the game against Ghana.
“It’s one of those moves that nobody could understand. We were practicing defensive deadballs, in the middle of a mess he suddenly screamed. He was close by, we went to see what was going on, it didn’t look like anything.” particular, he had trouble breathing, but he eventually recovered and we thought it wouldn’t be anything major. He went to the hospital as a precaution, that was the conclusion,” explains Santos, remembering that he still has three central players (Pepe , Rúben Dias and António Silva) and even other players who, if necessary, can fill that position.
Despite the fact that for now it is only certain that Danilo will miss the next two games, the type of injury that requires care and the central/midfielder could even put the World Cup in jeopardy.
Another change compared to the game against Ghana is through the midfield. Otávio is injured and still undergoing treatment, so it is almost certain that William Carvalho (he started well in the second half against Ghana) will play from the start, partnering Rúben Neves in the Portuguese midfield. A change that also suits the opponent’s style of play, as Uruguay requires more caution than Ghana and the Betis player is more defensive than Otávio.
Raphaël Guerreiro should keep his place as left defender, as Nuno Mendes has not trained due to an injury (he suffers from muscle pain).
Another possible change, but if it happens, it’s Fernando Santos’ choice – it could happen on the right side of defence. João Cancelo did not do well in the game against Ghana and even had a lot of responsibilities in the Africans’ second goal. So the coach can understand that he is giving Diogo Dalot, a Manchester United player who has been in shape in recent months and who, a chance. even in September, in the League of Nations against the Czech Republic, he scored twice in the 4-0 defeat.
In addition, no further changes are expected in the Portuguese national team. Rafael Leão started the second half very well in the opening game against Ghana and even scored a goal, but Fernando Santos was not allowed to change the attacking duo and continued to bet on Cristiano Ronaldo and João Félix.
Source: DN
