In search of victory to (almost) get the qualification
FORPortugal starts this thursday a final straight towards Mundial’2022. The Quinas team has scheduled a qualifying meeting for the national team competition against Ireland, at the Aviva Stadium, in Leinster.
Group A accounts are not closed, on the contrary. Only Portugal and Serbia have a chance of qualifying for the competition scheduled for Qatar, and it remains to be decided who will be ranked first in the group between the two teams in question.
If Portugal finishes second in Group A, they will be forced to play a playoff. For this reason, the national team is completely interested in winning this first of two games, so that qualification can be simplified. Is that, in case of victory against the Irish, Portugal is only one point of the Mundial’2022, a point that will have to conquer against Serbia.
Even before a ball rolled, Fernando Santos already had headaches. Anthony Lopes, Rafa Silva and João Mário left the work group, joining José Sá and Gonçalo Guedes. Despite being kept in the work group, Bernardo Silva is confirmed to be absent for this first meeting, due to physical complaints.
Ireland-Portugal is scheduled at 19:45 this Thursday.
Coaches in direct speech
Stephen Kenny
Expectations: “It will be a great football game, against a very good team. Just see the amount of options they have. For example, Bruno Fernandes plays, but then they have Renato Sanches or João Félix to join. They don’t lack options.”
Portuguese selection: “They have exceptional players, it’s not possible to predict anything that will happen against them, because they have a lot of quality in all positions. We will have to surpass ourselves, to reach the level we want to present, and be intelligent.”
Support from fans: “It’s a privilege to have a full house in this game. It’s great for the players to feel that atmosphere again, and we want to perform accordingly. We have to earn everything we’ve achieved in this game because we’re going to play against a great team and no one exposes us to anything”.
Fernando Santos
Last game against Ireland and lesson learned: “I think the important thing to take away from that game is what happened in the period that followed Diogo Jota’s ball to the post until the end of the first half, in which we lost the balance of the game. Ireland, a more split game, with a lot of attack and counterattack, and that doesn’t provide anything for our team. On the contrary, before the Irish team managed to create any danger, it even ended up scoring with one of those spears. counterattack. Then in the second half the team reacted well, reached the goal, but then it did well, it doesn’t tell Ireland about that ability to create so many problems for us, and that’s the lesson we have to learn. with its characteristics and like the players, a team that always plays to win, that’s what it will do in Ireland, knowing it has to have the right balance. to have a ball, not only do you have to circulate it well, find the right moves with objectivity to achieve the goal, but dozens of balances for when you lose it, you can recover it or eliminate the possibility of the opponent’s counterattack. That’s a fundamental lesson and that’s what I hope can be done in the game against Ireland.”
Solutions for the sides and João Cancelo: “There are three full-backs who consider they play on the right, but any of them play on the left. Diogo Dalot has played on the left many times, even in the national team he played on the right and left, Nélson Semedo in his team also plays on the left. left right and left, João Cancelo too. So we’ll take the options that we think are best for the team for this game. Regarding Cancelo, obviously I think Cancelo is certainly currently the best full-back in the world ” .
Bernardo Silva from outside: “He arrived very tired, very complaining, he has a lot of games on top, and he couldn’t go to training. But he’s recovering well and we believe they’re in a position to play here against Serbia. So he won’t even travel with us, why not it makes sense if it’s not 100%. There you won’t have the best conditions to continue the treatment you’re undergoing, and that’s why we opted for that, so that you can recover and join the training on Friday”.
Latest results
Ireland: VVEED
Portugal: VVVVV
last eleven
Ireland: Caoimhin Kelleher; Matt Doherty, Andrew Omobamidele, Shane Duffy, John Egan, Enda Stevens; Jeff Hendricks, Conor Hourihane; Chiedozie Ogbene, Jamie McGrath, Callum Robinson.
Portugal: Rui Patricio; João Cancelo, Pepe, Rúben Dias, Nuno Mendes; João Palhinha, João Moutinho, Bruno Fernandes; Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo, André Silva.
absences
Ireland: /
Portugal: Anthony Lopes, João Mário, Rafa Silva, Bernardo Silva.
Also Read: Fernando Santos dismisses three players and calls José Sá and Gonçalo Guedes