Portugal vs Poland – UNL November 2018 Preview and Scores

Match Preview

Portugal

Portugal are already through to the finals of the competition next summer, which means Fernando Santos will likely use this match to try some new players from the bench.

Some players have been missing from the start of the international break, including Christiano Roanldo with younger rivals given the opportunity to make their mark and claim regular starts moving forward.

Santos has insisted that Ronaldo remains part of the national team, although the Juventus striker has not featured since the 2018 World Cup exit at the hands of Uruguay.

Furthermore, Ronaldo is currently embroiled in a rape accusation scandal. The 33-year-old has been replaced by RB Leipzig winger Jeff Bruma in recent matches, while 21-year-old Goncalo Guedes seems a long-term option in attack. While he appears to be a natural successor to Ronaldo, Manchester City ace Bernardo Silva has been providing the creative spark for Portugal lately

The 24-year-old scored the winner in the 3-2 reverse fixture against Poland last month but has been ruled out of today’s match due to injury. Sevilla player Rafa Silva has been called in to replace the attacker.

Poland

The Poles are without a win in five and travel to a country where they have not won since 1976. Captain Robert Lewandowsi is set to miss reason is a minor knee injury with which the team captain has been struggling for a dozen or so days,” the Polish Football Association said on its website.

The Polish squad lost on Thursday lost 0-1 to the Czech Republic in a friendly match that added to the team’s woes under its new manager.

Lewandowski extended his goalless run while on international duty to seven games. At one point, he failed to make contact with the ball and missed what looked like a sure scoring opportunity from inside the box to an empty net.

The clash against the Czechs in the northern Polish city of Gdańsk marked the Poles’ third defeat, in addition to two draws, under manager Jerzy Brzęczek, who took over after the national squad’s early exit from the World Cup in Russia.

Head to Head

Both teams have met 12 times in competitions, with Portugal winning 6 and Poland winning 3 matches. Points were shared in the other 3 matches.

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