Portugal face Croatia on Saturday in the only friendly before Euro 2024 against a team that will also reach the final, marking a return to the National Stadium after a decade away.
Days after beating Finland 4-2, the national team will face much higher quality opposition in what promises to be perhaps the first painful test since Roberto Martinez took over as Portuguese coach as Croatia sit third. a place at the 2022 World Championships in Qatar after already finishing second in Russia in 2018.
Very close to the end, still led by Modric, Croatia’s “golden” generation became the opponents chosen for Portugal’s return to Hamor, 10 years after the last game when they drew on 31 May 2014 under Paulo Bento. 0:0 with Greece led by Fernando Santos, also in a friendly match, but in this case in preparation for the World Cup in Brazil.
Four months later, Santos would replace Paulo Bento as Portuguese coach and later lead the Quinas to victory at Euro 2016.
Although they are already part of the training camp (they will arrive on Friday), captain Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruben Neves are certain to be casualties, as Martinez himself confirmed, while Pepe and Nelson Semedo remain doubtful.
The centre-back and full-back were spared by the Finns in Alvalade due to physical problems, and the same could happen at the National Stadium, in the eighth ever clash between Portugal and Croatia.
Totalists against Finland Joao Cancelo, Joao Neves, Francisco Conceicao and Vitinha are unlikely to repeat their presence in the “eleven” again, the opposite happens with Bernardo Silva, Matheus Nunez (replacing the injured Otavio in the lineup) and Joao Felix, without minutes before the Scandinavians.
In goal, Jose Sa, who also played 90 minutes at Alvalade, must make way for Diogo Costa, a regular starter, or Rui Patricio, Portugal’s most capped goalkeeper ever (108).
At Euro 2024, Croatia finished second in Group D with 16 points, one less than Turkey, who won the group and will face Portugal in Germany.
The Portugal-Croatia match will take place at 17:45 and will be refereed by German Harm Osmers.
Before heading to Germany, the country that organizes the European Championship, the Portuguese team will also meet the Irish Republic on June 11 in Aveiro.
At Euro 2024, Portugal will compete in Group F along with the Czech Republic (June 18, in Leipzig), Turkey (June 22, in Dortmund) and Georgia (June 26, in Gelsenkirchen).
Euro 2024 will take place from June 14 to July 14.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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