Ricardo Horta was the only one not present at the first training session of the Portuguese national team.

This Monday, the Portuguese national football team began preparations for the match against Slovakia from Group J of the Euro 2024 qualification in a training session in which only striker Ricardo Horta was absent due to injury.

The Sporting Braga player was not under the guidance of coach Roberto Martinez at the main pitch of the Cidade do Futebol in Oeiras, as he remained in the gym.

The first session was essentially a recovery session, with players performing exercises on exercise bikes and on mattresses laid out on the field, based on what could be seen during the first 15 minutes open to reporters.

A highlight was the presence of Benfica’s midfielder Joao Neves, a complete first-team debutant, while injured defender Raphael Guerreiro was released on Sunday with the list reduced to 25 players.

In addition, Roberto Martinez had at his disposal young goalkeepers Gonçalo Ribeiro and Jose Guilherme, who carried out specific work on the adjacent field.

Portugal will face Slovakia on Friday at the Dragao Stadium in Porto at 19:45 and, in case of victory, automatically guarantees passage to the final phase of the next European Championship. Three days later, on the 16th, the national team plays in Bosnia and Herzegovina at 19:45 (Lisbon time).

After six rounds, Portugal retain their overall victory and top Group J with 18 points, five more than second-place Slovakia. Luxembourg is third with 10 points, followed by Bosnia and Iceland (both with six) and Liechtenstein, still without points.

In addition to six victories in the same number of matches, Roberto Martinez’s team has a record of 24 goals scored and not a single one conceded.

In November, Portugal will close out the qualifying round with a trip to Liechtenstein and an invitation to Iceland.

The first two places in the group give direct access to the final phase of Euro 2024.