Portugal will entertain Spain at the Estádio Municipal de Braga this Tuesday night as they look to earn another win in the UEFA Nations League. The Portuguese players managed to secure a dominant 4-0 victory away at the Czech Republic recently which will keep them in high spirits ahead of this game.
Fernando Santos could opt for the 4-2-3-1 formation once again and might be inclined to make one tweak to his first XI for this game. Joao Cancelo is expected to return from suspension while Mario Rui makes way for him and drops to the bench.
4-2-3-1 Portugal Predicted Lineup To Face Spain
Defence
Diogo Costa might get another chance to feature in between the sticks for Portugal after he kept a clean sheet in his last Nations League outing.
Ruben Dias will resume his defensive partnership with Danilo Pereira at the heart of Santos’ defence as they focus on stopping the Spaniards from scoring during the 90 minutes.
Diogo Dalot will be a nailed-on starter at right-back after he scored a brace in his last international appearance. As mentioned earlier, Joao Cancelo is expected to return from suspension and will probably get a chance to impress as the left-back. Santos might allow both his full-backs to make some adventurous runs out on the wide areas at every chance they get.
Midfield
William Carvalho and Ruben Neves will assume the duties of the holding midfielders as they try to give a good account of themselves collectively at the centre of the park.
Rafael Leao will function as the left-sided wide player while Bernardo Silva hopes to weave his magic on the other side as the right-winger. Bruno Fernandes will play in the number ten position and is expected to carry most of the creative burden for Portugal in the final third.
Matheus Nunes and Joao Mario will have to settle for a place on the bench and might come on to influence the game in the second 45 minutes if needed.
Attack
Cristiano Ronaldo will lead the charge for Portugal on the attacking end of the field. He failed to register a goal versus the Czech Republic and will be eager to get his name on the scoresheet against Spain in front of the home supporters.
Diogo Jota will be available for selection on the bench as he waits for his opportunity to make an impact in the latter stages of the game if Santos decides to call upon his services.
