The latest edition of the Nations kicks off for Portugal, the inaugural winners of the competition, on Thursday night as the Seleção take on Spain in Seville.
Many view this tournament as an ideal preparatory exercise for the World Cup in November, but Portugal coach Fernando Santos does not see it that way, while the Spaniards are looking to go one step further than last time round, when they were beaten in the final by France.
“Our goal for all the competitions we enter is always to win them. This is not preparation for the World Cup,” said Santos in the pre-match press conference today.
“We are talking about two of the best national teams in the world and a third one that has also been among the best. Switzerland have done very well in recent tournaments. They will be tough games and we are determined to win our matches.”
Seleção Podcast: Nations League kick off versus Spain as Portugal prep for the Qatar World Cup
Portugal’s somewhat tumultuous World Cup qualifying campaign, which relied on playoff victories against Turkey and North Macedonia to make the tournament after finishing second in their group, arguably left Santos with more questions than answers as regards the best starting XI.
The likes of goalkeeper Diogo Costa, left-back Nuno Mendes, midfielders João Palhinha, Otávio and Matheus Nunes and forward Rafael Leão all shone at different stages of qualifying, while Braga duo David Carmo and Ricardo Horta, drafted into the squad after strong club seasons, will be keen to show they belong in this company.
The trick will be to integrate the “new blood” harmoniously with veterans Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe and possibly João Moutinho, alongside unquestionable picks such as João Cancelo, Bernardo Silva and, in the light of his man-of-the-match performance against North Macedonia, Bruno Fernandes.
While Santos has indicated he will be holding nothing back, the sheer number of viable options and tactical nuances available to him will likely mean this opening salvo of four Nations League matches in quick succession will not provide a definitive answer as regards Portugal’s strongest eleven.
UK residents can watch the game on Premier Sports TV.
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Indeed, the quick turnaround between matches was criticised by Santos, who admitted that rotation will be a factor.
“I think this schedule is clearly an exaggeration. I don’t think it’s ever happened before, to have four games in 11 days. We will be playing after a highly exhausting season. There will be rotation clearly, because it is impossible to present the same XI in the four games – don’t even think about it.”
Given that Diogo Jota only joined the squad this morning, Vitinha is out with Covid-19 and Rafael Leão picked up a knock forcing him out of training yesterday, none of these three are likely to start.
Portugal’s predicted starting XI v Spain:
Diogo Costa, João Cancelo, Pepe, David Carmo, Nuno Mendes, Bernardo Silva, João Moutinho, Bruno Fernandes, Otávio, Ricardo Horta, Cristiano Ronaldo
Like Portugal, Spain have a healthy-looking mix of experienced players such as César Azpilicueta and Sergio Busquets and exciting up-and-coming talents, led by Gavi and possibly Ansu Fati, who has only recently come back from a long-term injury but who may feature tomorrow.
“Ansu Fati is a special case,” said Spain coach Luis Enrique. “He hasn’t played much lately. We want to see him regain his confidence. He’s a very important player and we want him to get back to his best.”
By Tom Kundert
