Portugal Faces Defensive Setback Ahead of Nations League Showdown with Denmark

Portugal will be weakened by the absence of Nuno Tavares in their Nations League encounters against Denmark. The Portuguese Football Federation announced on Tuesday evening that Tavares will instead return to Lazio for further recovery.

“Nuno Tavares is heading back to his club, where he will continue his rehabilitation,” the FPF stated, without clarifying whether the defender will be substituted in the squad.

The Arsenal loanee sustained his third injury of the season during training prior to Lazio’s home match against Udinese on 10 March, with reports confirming a muscular issue that raised concerns over another lengthy layoff.

He subsequently played 67 minutes for the Roman side in their 1-1 draw against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League but was then left out of the starting line-up during the 5-0 loss to Bologna on Sunday.

The team under the management of Roberto Martínez will conduct their final training session on Wednesday morning, still in Portugal, before flying to Denmark.

The first match against Denmark is scheduled for Thursday in Copenhagen at Parken Stadium, kicking off at 20:45 (19:45 UTC).

The second crucial encounter with the Scandinavians will take place on Sunday at José Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon, also at 19:45 UTC, and it will determine qualification for the Nations League Final Four.

The Selecao progressed to the quarter-finals of the competition after topping their group with four victories and two draws, while Denmark secured second place in their group with two wins, two draws, and two losses.

Portugal clinched the inaugural Nations League title in 2019 but did not qualify for the Final Four in the subsequent editions of 2020/21 and 2022/23.

Portugal’s squad:

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Rui Silva (Sporting), and José Sá (Wolverhampton, England).

Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United, England), Nélson Semedo (Wolverhampton, England), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain, France), Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting), Rúben Dias (Manchester City, England), António Silva (Benfica), and Renato Veiga (Juventus, Italy).

Midfielders: João Palhinha (Bayern Munich, Germany), Rúben Neves (Al Hilal, Saudi Arabia), João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain, France), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain, France), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City, England), and Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United, England).

Forwards: João Félix (AC Milan, Italy), Rafael Leão (AC Milan, Italy), Francisco Trincão (Sporting), Geovany Quenda (Sporting), Francisco Conceição (Juventus, Italy), Pedro Neto (Chelsea, England), Diogo Jota (Liverpool, England), Gonçalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain, France), and Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr, Saudi Arabia).