UEFA Nations League: Denmark v Portugal preview | OneFootball

Portugal will be seeking to continue their fine record against Denmark tomorrow to take a step towards the UEFA Nations League final four.

The Seleção face the Scandinavians in the first leg of the Group A playoffs in Copenhagen, hoping to come away with a positive result that will allow them to finish the job in Lisbon on Sunday.

All eyes will be on the lineup Roberto Martínez selects, with Portuguese fans hoping Vitinha and João Neves are given the chance to rekindle a partnership in the international arena that has borne spectacular results at club level.

After an almost perfect qualifying campaign for Euro 2024, coach Roberto Martínez’s honeymoon period has ended in the wake of a less-than-impressive showing at the tournament in Germany.

The Spaniard’s assertion earlier this week that he was the person who first thought of pairing up Vitinha and Neves at the heart of midfield – the duo played together in a pre-Euro 2024 friendly – raised eyebrows among the Portuguese press given that during the tournament itself the two players shared the same pitch for precisely… zero minutes.

That must surely change tomorrow. PSG’s brilliant displays against Liverpool in the Champions League provide ample evidence that the two players are ready for football at the highest level and that their different styles perfectly complement each other.

Neves is expected to come into a three-man midfield alongside Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes.

Predicted Portugal lineup (4-3-3):

Diogo Costa; Diogo Dalot, Gonçalo Inácio, Rúben Dias, Nuno Mendes; João Neves, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes; Rafael Leão, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pedro Neto

Denmark players to look out for

Young striker Rasmus Højlund ended a three-month barren spell without a goal by scoring for Manchester United at the weekend, but it would be no surprise if the usual starter at centre-forward began on the bench. That is because Monaco sensation Mika Biereth, also only 22 years old, has made a strong case to lead the line having netted 11 goals in 12 games (plus 3 assists) for the Ligue 1 club since signing in January.

Another exciting up-and-coming forward Gustav Isaksen has impressed at Lazio this season, and with Sporting teenager Conrad Harder also eyeing his debut, Denmark have plenty of young attacking energy to throw at Portugal in the forward positions.

In contrast, veteran Christian Eriksen continues to pull the strings for the Danes, while Kasper Schmiechel is still between the sticks for the Nordic team, both players with a wealth of experience. Anchoring midfield will be Morten Hjulmand, who has made such a positive impact in Portugal since arriving last season.

Head-to-head record

Portugal have an excellent record against the Danes, winning 11 and losing just three of 16 matches in total, with two draws.

The Seleção have come out on top the last three times the teams have met, but each time by a single goal. Portugal won a memorable roller-coaster match 3-2 at Euro 2012 thanks to a dramatic late winner by Silvestre Varela (pictured) after letting an early two-goal lead slip.

Drawn in the same qualifying group for the 2016 European Championship, Portugal edged both games 1-0 under Fernando Santos, with the Seleção going on to lift the trophy in France. Qualification was clinched with victory in Braga, João Moutinho scoring the goal. That game was in October 2015, meaning almost a decade has gone by without the two nations facing each other.

Quote / unquote

Roberto Martínez, Portugal coach:

“How will we approach the game? It’s simple. We need to be at our best level. This stadium has an incredible atmosphere. I really like the Denmark coach’s ideas. I know him well from his work at Anderlecht and Brentford. He likes his teams to press high, take risks and play eye to eye against anyone. That’s what they did against Spain. This is only the first half, but we have to be at our best.

“We need to defend well, but we want to win. I don’t believe we can play for 90 minutes trying to play a different game. We are a team that likes having the ball, controlling the game, but always trying to win. That’s what we do well and we’ll try to keep growing with this idea, which is certainly the best way to use the individual talent we have.”

Brian Riemer, Denmark coach:

“We have to pressure them and be aggressive. We’re not here to defend. We have to stop some of their players who can decide games on their own. Ronaldo is not the player he was but he has become a classic No9 with a lot of quality in the box. He’s got the technique and a shot that few players have. But he’s not the only one in their team. Bruno Fernandes and Rafael Leão also have to be stopped, so it won’t be easy.

“Then we have to take advantage of our chances to score. We aren’t going to have ten opportunities to score. The first half is in Copenhagen. The second half is in Lisbon. We have to make sure that everything is still wide open after tomorrow’s match.”