Portugal is on the verge of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League as they travel to Hampden Park to face Scotland in League A Group 1 on Tuesday.
Roberto Martinez's team secured a 3-1 victory over Poland at the weekend, keeping their perfect record in the 2024-25 tournament intact. In contrast, Scotland fought hard against Croatia but ended up losing 2-1.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently celebrated reaching 900 career goals, is aiming to break the 1,000-goal mark. He took another step toward that milestone by scoring against Poland after Bernardo Silva opened the scoring. Although Poland's Piotr Zielinski pulled one back, an own goal from Jan Bednarek in the final minutes restored Portugal's two-goal cushion.
With three wins out of three in this competition, Portugal sits comfortably at the top of their group, three points ahead. A victory in Glasgow could secure their spot in the quarter-finals, depending on other results. If Portugal wins, they would only need to avoid losing both of their November matches to guarantee a top-two finish.
This scenario seems unlikely for the Selecao, who are the only team in League A with a perfect nine points after three games. However, their previous encounter with Scotland wasn't without its challenges.
Back in September, Scotland took an early lead through Scott McTominay, but Portugal quickly turned the match around thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Ronaldo.
Scotland faced a similar fate against Croatia last weekend. After Ryan Christie scored first, they couldn’t hold onto the lead, allowing Croatia to come back for a 2-1 win. To add to their frustrations, a last-minute goal from Che Adams was ruled offside.
With four consecutive losses, Scotland’s hopes of finishing in the top two are nearly gone. Their only victory in the last 15 matches was against Gibraltar in a summer friendly. They haven’t beaten Portugal since 1980, when Kenny Dalglish was among the scorers in a 4-1 European Championship victory.
As they head into this crucial match, Scotland will need to overcome their recent struggles to keep their hopes alive.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Portugal emerged from their victory over Poland without any new injury concerns, though Goncalo Inacio, the Sporting Lisbon center-back, had to withdraw before the October internationals due to an injury.
Joao Palhinha, Francisco Conceicao, and Tomas Araujo were all left out of the squad for the match against Poland, but those decisions were tactical ones from coach Roberto Martinez. With Inacio and Araujo unavailable, Chelsea's Renato Veiga made his full debut as a center-back. If needed, Antonio Silva is also available as an option.
On Scotland’s side, they reported no new injury issues after their narrow loss to Croatia. However, before that match, Angus Gunn, Lawrence Shankland, Greg Taylor, and Celtic winger James Forrest all withdrew due to injuries.
Andrew Robertson, who has 77 caps, and veteran goalkeeper Craig Gordon, with 76, are set to add to their tallies on Tuesday. If Robertson plays, he will surpass Alex McLeish to move into fourth place on Scotland's all-time appearances list.
Che Adams, despite having a last-minute equalizer ruled out in Zagreb, is a strong candidate to replace Lyndon Dykes at the front of Scotland's attack. He’s been in good form, contributing to six goals in his first nine appearances for Torino.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Scotland possible starting lineup:
Gordon; Ralston, Souttar, Hanley, Robertson; McLean, Gilmour; Doak, McTominay, Christie; Adams
Portugal possible starting lineup:
Costa; Dalot, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; Silva, R. Neves; Jota, Fernandes, Leao; Ronaldo
EXPERT PREDICTION
Scotland 2-3 Portugal
All three of Scotland's losses in League A have been by just one goal, and unfortunately for Clarke's men, it’s easy to imagine a similar outcome at Hampden Park.
Fatigue could be a factor for both teams, but Portugal has much stronger options on the bench. The Selecao are poised to secure a win that will likely secure their spot in the quarter-finals.
