The Seleção are back in action in September and Portugal coach Fernando Santos today announced a 25-man squad, handing debut call-ups to Barcelona forward Francisco Trincão and Granada goalkeeper Rui Silva.
Silva’s Granada teammate Domingos Duarte also gets the nod, while the recall of goalkeeper Anthony Lopes is another noteworthy selection.
Portugal kick off the defence of their Nations League crown with a home match against Croatia in Porto on 5 September, before travelling to Sweden three days later.
France make up an extremely competitive Group A3, where the winners will progress to the finals, and the team finishing 4th will be relegated to the B-tier of groups for the next edition of the tournament.
“These are two extremely tough matches. It’s a group of top-quality teams,” said Santos. “But our goal is to win the Nations League and prepare well for the European championships.”
Full Portugal squad
Goalkeepers: Anthony Lopes (Olympique Lyon), Rui Patrício (Wolves), Rui Silva (Granada)
Defenders: João Cancelo (Manchester City), Nélson Semedo (Barcelona), Domingos Duarte (Granada), José Fonte (Lille), Pepe (FC Porto), Rúben Dias (Benfica), Mário Rui (Napoli), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund)
Midfielders: Danilo Pereira (FC Porto), Rúben Neves (Wolves), André Gomes (Everton), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Renato Sanches (Lille), João Moutinho (Wolverhampton), Sérgio Oliveira (FC Porto)
Forwards: Diogo Jota (Wolves), André Silva (Eintracht Frankfurt), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Trincão (Barcelona), Gonçalo Guedes (Valencia), João Félix (Atlético Madrid)
by Tom Kundert
