The veteran center-back Pepe, a FC Porto player, has been released from the first two matches of the Portuguese soccer team qualifying for Euro 2024, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) announced.
“Pepe has been released from the boarding school that the ‘AA’ team starts in Cidade do Futebol to prepare for the double trip that marks the start of the qualifying phase of the Eurocup that will be held in Germany in 2024,” the FPF announced on its website. official.
According to the FPF, the 40-year-old center-back “was considered unavailable by the FPF’s Health and Performance Unit and, therefore, dismissed from the call.”
Pepe did not participate this Monday, due to injury, in the match that FC Porto played against Sporting de Braga (0-0), for matchday 25 of the 1st Football League.
Given the loss of the blue and white center-back, 25 players have been called up, including the absolute debutant Diogo Leite, who plays for Union Berlin.
The Portuguese soccer team makes its debut in Group J of the qualifiers for the 2024 Euro Cup, hosting Liechtenstein, in a match scheduled for Thursday, at 7:45 p.m., at the Estádio José Alvalade, in Lisbon.
Three days later, Roberto Martínez’s men will travel to the Estádio do Luxemburgo, to face the local team, also starting at 7:45 p.m. (in Lisbon).
Euro2024 qualifying Group J also includes Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovakia and Iceland, with Portugal needing to be in one of the top two places to gain direct access to the competition scheduled for Germany (June 14-July 14).
List of the 25 summoned:
– Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), José Sá (Wolverhampton, England) and Rui Patrício (Rome, Italy).
– Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United, England), João Cancelo (Bayern Munich, Ale), Rúben Dias (Manchester City, England), Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint-Germain, Fra), António Silva (Benfica), Diogo Leite ( Union Berlin, Ale), Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain, Ale) and Raphaël Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund, Ale).
– Midfielders: Palhinha (Fulham, England), Rúben Neves (Wolverhampton, England), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City, England), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United, England), João Mário (Benfica), Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton, England), Otávio (FC Porto) and Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain, Fra).
– Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr, Ara), Gonçalo Ramos (Benfica), João Félix (Chelsea, England), Rafael Leão (AC Milan, Ita) and Diogo Jota (Liverpool, England)
Source: TSF
