Portugal’s head coach, Roberto Martínez, has emphasized that the friendly match against Nigeria on Wednesday will not influence the starting lineup for their World Cup opener against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
With all 26 players now present in camp, Portugal has a complete squad available for selection against the Super Eagles, which includes the UEFA Champions League-winning quartet from Paris Saint-Germain: Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, João Neves, and Gonçalo Ramos, who joined the national team prior to the friendly against Chile.
Matheus Nunes is anticipated to return to full training on Sunday after being sidelined for the match against Chile due to physical issues, while João Félix is also in the running to participate against the Super Eagles.
During his post-match press conference following the 2-1 victory over Chile, Martínez highlighted that the primary focus is on preparing the entire squad for the World Cup, rather than specifically gearing up for the opening match against the Leopards.
When asked if the starting XI for the match against Nigeria would be chosen with the DR Congo game in consideration, he was quoted by O Jogo as saying: “No, no. We now have the four PSG players arriving, along with Matheus Nunes, and we expect to have all 26 or 27 players ready for the second game. We continue with individual preparation.
“Francisco Trincão did not play because the red card situation varies based on how we concluded the game, but the goal is to prepare all players to be ready for the World Cup and not solely for the first match.”
Portugal is set to face the Democratic Republic of Congo at the NRG Stadium in Houston on Wednesday, June 17.
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