Portugal will host Nigeria today at José Alvalade Stadium in their last international friendly game before the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. Check out the potential lineups for both teams.
Without superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal will take on Nigeria at the José Alvalade Stadium in their final international friendly before their debut at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Here are the likely line-ups for both national teams. If you’re in the US, you can watch it via FuboTV (free trial).
Portugal will travel to Qatar as contenders thanks to their roster full of talented players. But they must be prepared as they share Group H with tough opponents like Uruguay, South Korea and Ghana. Therefore, this match could be very important to start deciding the squad that will open their FIFA World Cup campaign against the Ghana squad on November 24.
Nigeria’s goal in this encounter will be completely different for them as they failed to qualify for the biggest tournament in the sport. Barely missing the cut, they were eliminated by Ghana in an away goal tiebreak after a 1-1 aggregate score. Although it will be a good opportunity to play against a strong team.
Portugal lineup
Portugal, much like every national team that will be part of the FIFA World Cup, could take a cautious approach in this occasion. Though it seems like Fernando Santos may utilize his best 11, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the head coach opts to leave some starters on the bench. The most important thing is that Ronaldo appears as likely to play at least some minutes if he doesn’t start.
Portugal probable lineup: Jose Sa; Diogo Dalot, Antonio Silva, Danilo Pereira, Raphael Guerreiro; Joao Palhinha, Ruben Neves, Vitinha; Goncalo Ramos, Otavio and Rafael Leao.
Nigeria lineup
For Nigeria the context doesn’t require preserving key players since they won’t have a big competition up next. Considering this could be a good trial for the future of the team, they may have more regular pieces in the lineup. Although there will be a notable absence since Napoli striker Victor Osimhen dropped from the squad after picking up an injury in his team’s win over Udinese last Saturday.
Nigeria probable lineup: Francis Uzoho; Chidozie Awaziem, William Troost-Ekong, Calvin Bassey, Kevin Akpoguma; Frank Onyeka, Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi; Samuel Chukwueze, Emmanuel Dennis and Paul Onuachu.
