Portugal manager Fernando Santos is facing a defensive crisis ahead of the 2022 World Cup playoff semi-final against Turkey on Thursday at the Estadio do Dragao.
Two Manchester City players Joao Cancelo and Ruben Dias have been suspended due to suspension and injuries, while Pepe has been tested for COVID-19 and has not been available this week.
Portugal is one of the best teams to qualify for the final qualifiers in Europe, as despite being the best team to win their team, they have lost first place to Serbia, forcing them to now play these championships in order to win. be in Qatar. The team with the biggest star Cristiano Ronaldo must-win Path C, which includes no one but Italy.
In the case of Turkey, there are two things they will need to achieve in order to reach Qatar: first by beating the Portuguese in Portugal, and then by winning the Path C final against the winner of the match between Italy and Northern Macedonia. The Turks know that in order to play their third World Cup they will have to prove their mettle, and they will want to surprise.
Newly the top scorer in men’s football history, Cristiano Ronaldo is confident he will lead the line as Premier League stars Bernardo Silva and Diogo Jota offer support everywhere.
Portugal probable starting XI: Patricio; Cedric, Fonte, Inacio, Guerreiro; Moutinho, Pereira, Fernandes; B. Silva, Ronaldo, Jota.
Turkey probable starting XI: Cakir; Celik, Soyuncu, Demiral, Erkin; Under, Calhanoglu, Antalyali, Akturoglu; Yilmaz, Yazici.
