The Portuguese soccer team will focus this Tuesday on the last matches of Group A2 of the League of Nations, against the Czech Republic, on Saturday, and Spain, on September 27, without the retired Rafa.
The ‘quinas’ team holds the first training session, at the Cidade do Futebol, in Oeiras, starting at 5:30 p.m., after the concentration, which 25 of the 26 chosen must attend, after announcing the Benfica player , who was summoned his “unavailability” to represent the Portuguese team.
The FPF management has already said that it “respects” the decision made by Rafa, who has not yet been replaced by coach Fernando Santos, unlike the injured Raphaël Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund), who gave the job to Mário Rui (Naples). ).
After training in the afternoon, the players and coaching staff attend the ‘Quinas de Ouro’ Gala, also at Cidade do Futebol, scheduled for 9:30 p.m.
After the four games in June (1-1 in Spain, 4-0 against Switzerland, 2-0 against the Czech Republic and 0-1 in Switzerland), Portugal remains in second place in Group A2, with seven points, one from the leader Spain and with three more than the Czechs and four more than the Swiss.
In the last two days, the ‘quinas’ team faces the Czechs, on Saturday, in Prague, without João Cancelo, who will have to serve a penalty match, and closes with the Spanish, three days later, on the 27th, in the Braga Municipal Stadium, with both games scheduled for 7:45 p.m. (in Lisbon).
The Portuguese team, winner of the first edition of the League of Nations in 2019, needs to win the group to reach the ‘final four’ of the third edition, the second is won by France, in a final with Spain, in 2021.
The Nations League Final takes place from June 14 to 18, 2023, with the winners of the four League A groups moving bottom from each of the groups to League B.
List of the 25 summoned:
– Goalkeepers: Rui Patrício (Roma, Ita), Diogo Costa (FC Porto) and José Sá (Wolverhampton, Ing).
– Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United, Ing), João Cancelo (Manchester City, Ing), Pepe (FC Porto), Rúben Dias (Manchester City, Ing), Tiago Djaló (Lille, Fra), Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint- Germain, Fra), Mário Rui (Naples, Ita) and Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain, Fra).
– Midfielders: Rúben Neves (Wolverhampton, Ing), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United, Ing), João Mário (Benfica), Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton, Ing), William Carvalho (Betis, Esp), Palhinha (Fulham, Ing) and Bernardo Silva (Manchester City, Ing).
– Forwards: Pedro Neto (Wolverhampton, Ing), João Félix (Atlético de Madrid, Esp), Diogo Jota (Liverpool, Ing), Ricardo Horta (Sporting de Braga), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Ing) and Rafael Leão (AC ) ) Milano, Italy).
Source: TSF
