3 days ago
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Who: Portugal vs Republic of Ireland
What: UEFA World Cup qualifier
Where: Estadio Jose Alvalade successful Lisbon, Portugal
When: Saturday, October 11, astatine 7:45pm (18:45 GMT)
Portugal volition question to fortify their grip connected Group F successful their UEFA World Cup qualifying run erstwhile they look the winless Republic of Ireland successful Lisbon connected Saturday.
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The Portuguese stormed to the UEFA Nations League rubric earlier this twelvemonth and are portion of the radical of shot teams that person belatedly joined the qualifiers for the FIFA 2026 World Cup successful the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look astatine the lucifer that could enactment 1 ft successful adjacent year’s last for Portugal, portion it’s a must-win for the Irish.
How person Portugal fared successful their World Cup qualifiers truthful far?
Portugal person won some their opening qualifiers successful Group F, winning 5-0 successful Armenia successful their archetypal lucifer and 3-2 successful Hungary successful their 2nd game.
How person Ireland fared successful their World Cup qualifiers truthful far?
Ireland came from 2 down successful Dublin to gully 2-2 successful their opening Group F lucifer against 10-man Hungary. Adam Idah scored the leveller successful the 90th minute. The Irish fell 2 down erstwhile again successful their 2nd match, distant to Armenia, but Evan Ferguson’s 57th-minute onslaught did not acceptable up different comeback connected this occasion, with the hosts holding connected for a 2-1 win.
Why person Portugal and Ireland lone precocious joined the World Cup qualifying process?
Portugal and Ireland, on with 22 different teams, are lone joining the qualifying programme for the World Cup present owed to the advancement of immoderate of the apical seeds successful the 2025 Nations League, which culminated successful June.
Portugal were crowned champions arsenic they beat Spain 5-3 connected penalties successful the 2025 final.
Portugal bushed Germany successful the semifinal, portion Spain overcame France. The remainder of the qualifiers for the second stages of that tourney are besides lone entering the World Cup qualifiers now.
The spots are filling up.⏳🏆 @aramco | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/3opHdZQUDX
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) October 10, 2025
What happened the past clip Portugal played Ireland?
Portugal bushed Ireland 3-0 successful a affable lucifer successful June 2024 successful the past gathering betwixt the sides.
Joao Felix gave the Portuguese the pb successful the archetypal fractional of the lucifer successful Aveiro, earlier Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a brace to seal the win.
The past competitory gathering betwixt the sides was successful a World Cup qualifier successful 2021, which ended successful a 0-0 gully successful Ireland. Portugal won the reverse fixture 3-1, aiding their qualification for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Ireland failed to qualify.
Roberto Martinez says Cristiano Ronaldo has mislaid nary of his hunger
“Normally, erstwhile a subordinate wins oregon achieves something, the adjacent greeting they don’t person the aforesaid hunger. But I haven’t seen that with Cristiano Ronaldo,” Martinez said up of the Ireland match.
“With him, the adjacent greeting is an accidental to go amended and triumph again. This is unique. I cannot explicate it.
“He’s had a 20-year career. He’s not the aforesaid subordinate arsenic helium was before, but helium ever finds a mode to beryllium useful. And he’s an illustration to the others. His emotion of playing shot and the nationalist squad is determination for each to see. He has played much than 200 games and continues to acceptable an example. He volition beryllium remembered forever.
On the qualification process, Martinez added: “The nationalist team’s absorption is connected trying to qualify. We proceed measurement by step. The grooming campy successful September was precise good, but we can’t suffer what we did successful September. Our absorption is connected trying to beryllium astatine the champion level against Ireland.”
Ireland request ‘almost cleanable game’ against Portugal
“We cognize that we request to person astir a cleanable crippled to get thing from this match,” Heimir Hallgrimsson, the Republic of Ireland coach, said.
“If we do, we person a accidental to bargain a constituent oregon to triumph the game. Obviously, we request to effort to support a cleanable sheet. That’s ever going to marque it easier.
“We person a crippled program that we deliberation is going to work. We’ll spot if that materialises. But obviously, if you look astatine the table, we request astatine slightest a minimum 3 points from this camp. And for evident reasons, it’s astir apt the Armenia crippled that everybody is saying: ‘OK, we tin person a bully show and a amended show than successful Armenia and get 3 points there.'”
Head-to-head
This is lone the 17th gathering betwixt the European sides, with Portugal winning 9 and Ireland winning four.
Ireland’s past triumph successful the fixture came successful a affable betwixt the sides successful 2005, courtesy of Andy O’Brien’s solitary onslaught successful Dublin. There person been 4 consequent matches, of which Portugal person won three.
Ireland’s past competitory triumph against Portugal came successful a European Championships qualifier successful 1995.
The fixture dates backmost to 1946 and began with a 3-1 location triumph for Portugal successful a friendly.
Portugal form
W-W-W-W-W
Republic of Ireland form
W-D-D-D-L
Portugal squad news
Midfielder Joao Neves and defender Joao Cancelo are some absent owed to hamstring injuries.
Republic of Ireland squad news
The Irish person been deed by an extended wounded list, including Matt Doherty, Jason Knight, Bosun Lawal, Callum O’Dowda and Sammie Szmodics
Striker Troy Parrott made a substitute quality successful a lucifer with AZ Alkmaar astatine the weekend, and returns to the Ireland squad, having missed the past 2 internationals owed to injury.
Portugal predicted starting lineup
Costa; Dalot, Dias, Inacio, Mendes; Bernardo, Vitinha, Fernandes; Conceicao, Ronaldo, Neto
Republic of Ireland imaginable starting lineup
Kelleher; O’Brien, O’Shea, Collins; Ogbene; Cullen, Knight, Manning; Taylor, Azaz; Ferguson
English (US) ·