Portugal will look to build on their winning start to the UEFA Nations League campaign when they host Scotland.
While Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal will be looking to make it two wins in two, they will come up against Scotland, who will be eager to bounce back and get off the mark after losing in their opening UEFA Nations League A Group 1 fixture.
Roberto Martínez’s team were far from their best at Euro 2024. While they made it to the quarter-finals of the European Championship and went out on penalties to France, they did not play to the best of their abilities.
However, the Seleccao have made an exciting start to their UEFA Nations League campaign with a 2-1 win over Croatia. The match also saw Ronaldo score a landmark 900th career goal. They will be eager to play in a similar fashion and secure their second win.
Meanwhile, Scotland had a tough time at UEFA Euro 2024, as they could not even secure a single win in the tournament and failed to get out of the group. The Tartan Army were hoping to bounce back in their opening Nations League fixture against Poland, but things didn’t go according to plan.
They dominated the ball and created more chances than Poland but ended up suffering a 3-2 defeat as Nicola Zalewski smashed home an injury-time penalty to secure all three points. Portugal will be a much tougher opponent, but they will hope to get things back on track. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Portugal
Portugal have a fully-fit squad for this fixture, and Roberto Martinez is unlikely to make any major changes to the starting XI.
While the Spanish manager’s team are well capable of switching from a back four to a back three just like they did last time out, he is still expected to stick to the 4-2-3-1 formation for this outing.
Diogo Costa will be in goal for the home team, with Diogo Dalot and Nuno Mendes taking charge as the full-backs. Ruben Dias should pair up with Antonio Silva in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Ruben Neves will form a double pivot with Vitinha. They will look to shield the backline and control the tempo of the game. Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes will feature as the no. 10, with Bernardo Silva and Rafael Leao taking charge on the flanks. They will provide width and look to create chances for their star striker Cristiano Ronaldo.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Costa; Dalot, Dias, Antonio Silva, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha; Bernardo Silva, Fernandes, Leao; Ronaldo
Scotland
The visitors will be without the services of Kieran Tierney and Che Adams. Apart from the duo, everyone is fit and available for selection.
Steve Clarke will look to field his best possible XI against a strong Portuguese outfit, and he is unlikely to make any changes to the XI that started in their last outing, which unfortunately ended in a defeat.
Scotland will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Angus Gunn will be in goal. Anthony Ralston and Andrew Robertson will feature as the full-backs for the visitors, while Grant Hanley will pair up with Scott McKenna in the central defensive pairing.
Kenny McLean and Billy Gilmour will pair up in the centre of the park. The duo will have a lot of defensive duties as they will look to help out the backline. John McGinn will likely feature on the right flank, while Ryan Christie will take charge on the left. Scott McTominay will start in the no. 10 role behind Lyndon Dykes, who will lead the line for Scotland against Portugal.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Gunn; Ralston, Hanley, McKenna, Robertson; McClean, Gilmour; McGinn, McTominay, Christie; Dykes
Key Stats
- Portugal and Scotland have squared up against each other on 15 occasions with the home team winning eight of those outings and the visitors winning just four.
- Scotland have been winless in their last five outings across all competitions.
- Portugal have won each of their last three outings against the visitors.
- The two teams last met in a friendly back in 2018 where the Ronaldo-led team won 3-1.
- Portugal have won four and lost two of their last six outings in the Nations League.
Player to Watch
Bruno Fernandes
While it was all about Cristian Ronaldo’s 900th career goal against Croatia, Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes also had an impressive outing and he even bagged an assist. He has not had the best of starts to the new season with the Red Devils, but these games with Portugal could help him return to his best. Having made an impact last time out, Fernandes will be looking to build on it.
Prediction
Portugal 3-1 Scotland
Scotland will be eager to bounce back after having suffered a disappointing defeat at the hands of Poland last time out. But, they are going to find it extremely tough to get past Portugal, who played an impressive brand of football against Croatia. They will look to build on it and are expected to come out on top without much trouble. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the home team.