Portugal faces this Saturday, in Prague, the Czech Republic, in the penultimate match of Group A2 of the Football League of Nations, “forbidden” to lose to fight with Spain for a place in the “final four”, the Tuesday.
The team led by Fernando Santos could have been at the head of the ‘poule’, but suffered a surprise defeat in Geneva, against Switzerland (1-0), and fell to second place, with seven points, one of the leaders Spain, which still you have to visit Braga.
The champion of the first edition of the competition, in 2019, knows in advance that he will be out of the final phase if he loses in the capital of the Czech Republic and the ‘red’ beat the Swiss, and avoid relegation to League B if not is defeated or if Switzerland loses.
For the match scheduled at home to Slavia Prague, which will have some 20,000 fans in the stands, coach Fernando Santos should not have any major surprises in the starting eleven, without the suspended João Cancelo and the injured Pepe and Raphaël Guerreiro, who remain excluded from the squad.
The greatest doubt will perhaps be in the goal, which will have to be occupied by Rui Patrício or Diogo Costa, behind a defensive quartet made up of Diogo Dalot Danilo, Rúben Dias and Nuno Mendes, while the midfield will have to be in charge of João Palhinha or Rúben Neves, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva.
The forward trio is very likely to remain in the hands of ‘captain’ Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Jota and Rafael Leão. On the bench will be the defender João Cancelo and the injured João Félix.
The match between the Czechs and the Portuguese begins at 7:45 p.m. (in Lisbon), at the Eden Arena, in Prague, and will be refereed by the Serbian Srdjan Jovanovic. On the last day, scheduled for Tuesday, Portugal hosts Spain, in Braga.
Spain is the leader of the ‘poule’, with eight points, while the Czech Republic is third, with four, and Switzerland is last, with three.
The “quinas” 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 won by France, in a final with Spain, in 2021.
The four group winners from League A qualify for the final phase, which includes the semi-finals, the final and the match for third place. The ‘final four’ of the third edition of the race will be held in June 2023.
Source: TSF
