The Portuguese national football team has seven players who risk missing the predictably decisive game against Spain, Tuesday in Group A2 of the League of Nations, if they see a yellow card in the Czech Republic on Saturday.
Midfielders Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva and striker Cristiano Ronaldo are the three main Portuguese figures at risk, along with versatile Danilo Pereira, midfielders William Carvalho and Matheus Nunes and striker Rafael Leão.
These seven players have received the yellow card once in the first four games of Group A2 and if they are warned with a second they are banned, a scenario that does not arise for central Pepe and midfielder João Moutinho, the former ruled out due to injury. to the squad and the second not included in the list of those elected.
João Cancelo, for his part, is no longer an option for the game against the Czech Republic, as he has seen yellow cards in the last two games, at the Czechs’ reception and in Switzerland.
The Portuguese team started its entry into Group A of the Nations League 2022/23 on June 2 with Spain (1-1), in Seville, where four Portuguese players were ‘yellowed’, namely João Moutinho, Bernardo Silva, Matheus Nunes and Pepe .
The second game was a Portuguese walk, in the reception to Switzerland (4-0), and Bruno Fernandes was the only player of the ‘quinas’ team to see the yellow card.
In the third game, against the Czech Republic, in Alvalade, Portugal repeated the four warnings of the debut, with the yellow cards this time ‘falling’ to William Carvalho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Leão and João Cancelo.
So with no ‘repeats’, Portugal had nine players on the brink of suspension and in the fourth game, the trip to Switzerland (0-1), the ‘rope’ went to João Cancelo’s side, who was suspended and was eliminated. replaced in the list of Portuguese at risk by Danilo Pereira.
On Saturday, in Prague, against the Czechs, the Portuguese coach, Fernando Santos, has to think about a match he cannot lose – if that happens and Spain wins, in the reception to Switzerland, Portugal is out of the ‘final four’ – – and also in the following.
If they score in the Czech Republic, Portugal will know that they will never have to lose to Spain in Braga on Tuesday, and will have to win if they continue past the fifth round, as they are doing now (seven points, to eight), behind Luis Enrique’s ‘eleven’.
As for the ‘roja’, only five players are at risk of abandoning Portugal if they are ‘yellowed’ to Switzerland, defenders Carvajal and Diego Llorente, midfielders Sergio Busquets and Rodri and striker Pablo Sarabia, a former Sporting player.
Source: DN
