Portugal will aim to take a step closer to reaching the UEFA Nations League finals when they take on Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday.
The latest international break is on the verge of ending, with Tuesday bringing the final matches of October’s round of fixtures. Group A1 will witness two teams on the opposite ends of the standings face off at Hampden Park, with Scotland hosting Portugal, desperate to remain in contention to continue in League A instead of dropping to League B.
Scotland qualified for UEFA Nations League A after finishing atop Group B1 in the 2022/23 edition. However, the Tartan Army would have hoped for a better campaign after securing promotion. Instead, Steve Clarke’s men are still searching for their first point after struggling to remain defensive solid throughout the first half of the 2024/25 campaign.
As for Portugal, they narrowly missed out on progressing to the finals in the 2022/23 edition to eventual winners Spain. However, they will likely reach the semi-finals in the latest iteration after winning all three games thus far. Roberto Martinez’s men have barely put a foot wrong, although the Spanish tactician will hope his charges can become more solid.
Portugal came from a goal down to beat Scotland 2-1 in the reverse fixture, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the match-winning goal. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Scotland
Steve Clarke has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Scotland’s head coach has lost a veteran attacker and replaced him with a first-time call-up for the midweek fixture against Portugal.
James Forrest has withdrawn from the squad to take on Portugal, with Connor Barron taking his spot in the group. Meanwhile, Clarke had already lost Angus Gunn, Greg Taylor, and Lawrence Shankland last week.
Craig Gordon will take his spot between the sticks, with Scotland lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Germany. The backline should feature Anthony Ralston, John Souttar, Grant Hanley, and captain Andrew Robertson.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Kenny McLean and Billy Gilmour. The duo will aim to keep things tight in the middle of the park and neutralise Bruno Fernandes. Scott McTominay will reprise the no. 10 role, hoping to make late runs into the box. Finally, Che Adams will lead the line for Scotland, with Ryan Christie and Ben Doak completing the numbers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Gordon; Ralston, Souttar, Hanley, Robertson; McLean, Gilmour; Doak, McTominay, Christie; Adams
Portugal
Unlike his counterpart in the Scottish dugout, Roberto Martinez does not have any issues to worry about ahead of the trip to Hampden Park. Portugal’s head coach will have a near-full-strength squad this midweek.
Goncalo Inacio is the only absentee, with the Sporting CP defender recovering from a knock. Diogo Costa is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Portugal lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Scotland.
The backline should feature Diogo Dalot, Ruben Dias, Antonio Silva, and Nuno Mendes. As for the midfield unit, Ruben Neves and Bernardo Silva should pair up in the double pivot. While the former will aim to keep things tight in the middle of the park, the latter will provide the forward thrust.
Bruno Fernandes will reprise the no. 10 role, with Diogo Jota and Rafael Leao being the two wide attackers for the away side. Finally, Cristiano Ronaldo is an automatic pick to lead the line for Portugal against Scotland this midweek.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Costa; Dalot, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; Silva, Ruben Neves; Jota, Bruno Fernandes, Leao; Ronaldo
Key Stats
- Scotland have lost their last four matches against Portugal, with the Tartan Army only currently on a longer run of defeats against Belgium (6 – most recent meeting 2019) and Brazil (6 – last meeting 2011). The Seleccao won 3-1 on their most recent away trip to Scotland in an October 2018 friendly but have never previously won successive games on the road (W1 D2 L4 prior).
- Scotland have lost their last four matches in all competitions, each by a margin of a single goal. Never before in the national team’s history have they lost five successive games.
- Portugal have won their last seven competitive away games by an aggregate score of 22-1. They have never won eight successive fixtures before in their history.
- Scotland are without a win in their last five home matches in all competitions (D2 L3), the joint-longest such run in their history after also going five without winning between November 2007 and November 2008.
- Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in all three of Portugal’s UEFA Nations League games in the 2024/25 edition. The veteran forward last found the back of the net in four successive international appearances in June 2021.
Player to Watch
Bruno Fernandes
While Cristiano Ronaldo will invariably come under the spotlight as he continues his fine run of form in international football, we have picked Portugal’s talismanic playmaker for this section. Bruno Fernandes continues delivering the goods and should be the difference-maker again on Tuesday.
The 30-year-old has come under criticism for his lacklustre performances for Manchester United this season. However, he has always turned up for his national side, which might point to Erik ten Hag not bringing the best out of him. Another game-changing performance will further that notion, with Fernandes eager to continue making his mark.
Prediction
Scotland 1-3 Portugal
With Scotland struggling to remain solid at the back, Portugal could have a field day this midweek. However, Roberto Martinez’s men have not been as impenetrable defensively as the Spanish tactician would have liked. So, the home side should have enough opportunities to trouble the scorers.
An end-to-end affair might be on the cards, with Scotland taking the game to Portugal. However, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes should inspire a top-notch performance that will end in a crucial victory for the away side. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Martinez and his charges.