Overview
The Danish team won a ticket to the quarter-finals of this year's Nations League with the second place in Group A4. They ended the group stage with 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses against defending EURO champion Spain.
In the quarter-finals, coach Brian Riemer's team will meet another team from the Iberia peninsula, which is Portugal - the top team in Group A1.
The "European Selecao" showed extremely impressive form in the group stage when they were unbeaten with 4 wins and 2 draws. They won the top spot in the group with 14 points, 6 points ahead of second-placed Croatia. Coach Roberto Martinez has in hand a generation of talented players and is entering the prime of his career. Their leader is still Cristiano Ronaldo.
Meanwhile, Denmark has a solid defense but the attack lacks sharpness. Their main striker Ramus Hojlund is in very poor form at Man United. This striker has only scored 1 goal in the last 21 matches in all competitions. However, coach Brian Riemer does not have any better choice.
With Hojlund's current form, Denmark will find it difficult to create a dangerous opportunity against Portugal. Meanwhile, Portugal with stars in high form such as Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha or Bernardo Silva promises to easily dominate the game. Under the constant pressure of Portugal, Denmark will find it difficult to stand firm at home.
The two teams have not faced each other since 2015, when Portugal won 1-0 in Lisbon in the EURO qualifiers. They have dominated this match throughout history, winning 10 out of 15 meetings and losing just three.
Personnel situation
Both coaches have chosen strong lines and Martinez's most difficult problem is who, although Ronaldo may be given priority over Goncalo Ramos in the striker position.
As for the absences, Denmark is uncertain about the possibility of Andreas Christensen appearing through injury. On the away team's side, Bernardo Silva also fell into a similar situation.
Expected lineup:
Denmark: Schmeichel, Maehle, Vestergaard, Andersen, Roerslev, Norgaard, Hojbjerg, Eriksen, Damsgaard, Hojlund, Biereth.
Portugal: Sa, Mendes, Dias, A. Silva, Dalot, Vitinha, Palhinha, Fernandes, Leao, Ronaldo, Neves.
The match between Denmark and Portugal takes place at 2:45 am on March 21 (Vietnam time).
