Portugal prepares decision with Serbia after null in Dublin
AN The quinas team, which chose to return to Portugal right after the meeting in Dublin, has a training session scheduled for 17:00, in the Cidade do Futebol, in Oeiras, with the first 15 minutes offered to journalists.
It is expected that the players who started the match in Dublin carry out specific recovery work and do not go up to the pitch, there is still doubt about Bernardo Silva, who missed the game with the Irish and stayed in Portugal recovering from physical problems.
For its part, central Pepe is the right casualty for the decisive meeting with the Serbs, after being sent off in Dublin, where he got the yellow card in the 72nd and 82nd minute.
On Thursday, a national team drew 0-0 with the Republic of Ireland, having climbed to the first place of qualifying Group A with 17 points, the same as Serbia, with qualification Portugal will measure tables on Sunday at the Stadium da Luz, in Lisbon, in the last meeting of the group stage.
The Portuguese and Serbs are the only ones still able to qualify directly for the 2022 World Cup, bearing in mind that Luxembourg (nine), Republic of Ireland (six) and Azerbaijan (one) are already mathematically out of the running for the finals.
To guarantee the first place and direct qualification for the World Championship, a Portuguese team will have to score against Serbia, in a clash that starts at 19:45 on Sunday.