Santos announces Portugal squad for testing clashes

After the state of near-euphoria caused by Portugal’s powerful displays against Croatia and Sweden last month, it is no surprise that Seleção coach Fernando Santos has selected a similar squad for the upcoming matches against Spain, France and Sweden.  

Four new faces make the cut compared to the previous squad in Rafa Silva, Daniel Podence, Rúben Semedo and William Carvalho, while Domingos Duarte, André Gomes and Gonçalo Guedes drop out to make way for the recalled quartet. 

The rest of the squad remains the same, and given the calibre of the opposition, it will be interesting to see if in a couple of weeks we are talking about “a reality check” or “confirmation Portugal are contenders to win big”. 

Portugal play Spain in a friendly match on 7 October at the Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, and one week later take on Sweden at the same venue in a Nations League match. These games will see a small number of fans allowed into the stadium for the first time in mainland Portugal since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The biggest test for Portugal, though, will be the match in between these two encounters, on 11 October, at Stade de France in Paris. The game against the current world champions, who will no doubt be keen of exacting revenge for the Euro 2016 final defeat at the same venue, is a mouth-watering prospect.

Full Portugal squad

Goalkeepers: Anthony Lopes (Lyon), Rui Patrício (Wolves), Rui Silva (Granada)

Defenders: João Cancelo (Manchester City), Nélson Semedo (Wolves), José Fonte (Lille), Pepe (FC Porto), Rúben Dias (Manchester City), Rúben Semedo (Olympiakos), Mário Rui (Napoli), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund)

Midfielders: Danilo Pereira (FC Porto), Rúben Neves (Wolves), William Carvalho (Betis), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Renato Sanches (Lille), João Moutinho (Wolves), Sérgio Oliveira (FC Porto)

Forwards: Daniel Podence (Wolves) Rafa Silva (Benfica), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Diogo Jota (Liverpool), André Silva (Eintracht Frankfurt), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Trincão (Barcelona), João Félix (Atlético Madrid)

By Tom Kundert