Overview
After winning the UEFA Nations League for the second time in June, Portugal started the World Cup qualifying campaign with 2 consecutive victories against Armenia and Hungary. They scored 8 goals in just those 2 matches.
"European Selecao" easily crushed Ukraine 5-0 away in the opening match, before defeating Hungary 3-2 thanks to Joao Cancelo's decisive goal in the 86th minute.
Coach Roberto Martinez's team is aiming for the dream of winning the first World Cup in history next summer. The Spaniard said he believes in numbers, especially six - reminiscent of Portugal's third-place finish at the 1966 World Cup and EURO 2016 championship.
The team currently ranked 5th on the FIFA rankings has secured a place in the World Cup play-off round thanks to the Nations League championship. In addition, they still maintain the advantage of leading Group F with a gap of 3 points compared to their chasing opponents.
Portugal is aiming to extend its winning streak in all competitions to 6. They have reason to be confident ahead of the Republic of Ireland, having won three of their last four (D1).
Since 2006, the Republic of Ireland has not participated in the World Cup. Now, they are facing a difficult journey to win a ticket to the 2026 tournament. They have only got one point after the opening two matches in Group F.
Ireland started with great effort when turning the tide from being behind by 2 goals to holding Hungary to a 2-2 draw at home in the first match last month. However, they quickly declined when they lost 1-2 to Armenia - a team 45 places behind them in the FIFA rankings.
Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson and his students are determined to correct their mistakes, in the context of midfielder Finn Azaz frankly admitting: "We know that we have disappointed fans, and also ourselves".
Ireland aims to repay their debt against Ukraine in a potential key match next Tuesday. However, they are facing a huge challenge - a trip to Lisbon to face Portugal. The blue team is still looking for its first win in Portugal after seven confrontations (1 draw, 5 losses).
However, the opportunity for Ireland is very fragile. They have won just two of their last eight international games away from home (D1 L5) and have failed to score in four of those. This is a statistic that makes it difficult for Hallgrimsson and his team to be confident against opponents who are superior in every aspect.
Personnel situation
Portugal will be without two key players, midfielder Joao Neves and defender Joao Cancelo, both of whom have hamstring injuries.
Roberto Martinez has called up Nuno Tavares to add to his squad, but Nuno Mendes is likely to take over as a left-back in the match this weekend. In the opposite hall, Nelson Semedo and Diogo Dalot will compete for a starting position on the right wing.
The center of midfield is expected to be a combination of Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha, while superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to continue leading the attack.
Ronaldo has scored 3 goals in the last 2 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and scored four times in the five encounters with the Republic of Ireland.
On the other side of the front line, the Republic of Ireland suffered a big blow when Matt Doherty, Jason Knight, Bosun Lawal, Callum O'Dowda and Sammie Szmodics are all absent due to injury, in which the two players were forced to withdraw earlier this week.
Doherty's absence opens up the opportunity for Seamus Coleman to return to the squad for the first time since September 2024. The veteran defender will compete for a starting spot with Chiedozie Ogbene.
Expected lineup:
Portugal: Costa, Dalot, Dias, Inacio, Mendes, Bernardo, Vitinha, Fernandes, Conceicao, Ronaldo, Neto.
Republic of Ireland: Kelleher, O'Brien, O'Shea, Collins, Ogbene, Cullen, Knight, Manning, Taylor, Azaz, Ferguson.
The match between Portugal and Ireland takes place at 1:45 am on October 12 (Vietnam time).
