Portugal go play dia first match since di sad passing of Diogo Jota and im brother Andre Silva as dem begin dia 2026 World Cup qualification journey.
Dem go waka go Yerevan inside Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium wey Armenia dey wait for dem on Saturday evening. Roberto Martinez boys dey Group F together wit Armenia, Hungary and Republic of Ireland.
Match Preview
Portugal dey enter dis qualifier fresh from winning dia second UEFA Nations League title for June. Dem beat hosts Germany 2-1 for semi-final and later knack Euro 2024 champions Spain 5-3 for penalties after 2-2 draw for final.
Na di third big trophy for Portugal in nine years and di first one under Roberto Martinez, wey don carry 70% win ratio for 30 games (21 wins, 5 draws, 4 losses) since e start work for January 2023.
FIFA rank dem number six for world and dem don lose only one of dia last 10 games since France nack dem for Euro 2024 quarter-final. Attack sef dey flow, as dem don score two goals or more for seven of dose games.
Dem go be heavy favourites to top Group F and waka straight enter World Cup. Even if dem no top, Nations League ranking don already guarantee dem playoff ticket. But Martinez wan make sure say dis time, qualification go sharp sharp, unlike di last four World Cups wey three times dem use playoff. For Euro 2024 dem win all 10 qualifiers. Plus, dem never lose against Armenia before (4 wins, 2 draws).
Armenia begin di year under Dutch coach John van ‘t Schip, but after four games wey no bring win (1 draw, 3 loss), dem sack am for August. Na Yegishe Melikyan, ex-national player wit 29 caps, replace am. But im work dey tough as Armenia don drop go 105th for FIFA ranking.
Havakakan don only win two of dia last 10 matches (2 draws, 6 losses). Dem chop 9-1 aggregate beating from Georgia for Nations League relegation playoff earlier dis year. For friendlies, dem lose 5-2 to Kosovo and draw 2-2 wit Montenegro. But small encouragement dey as dem don score five goals for last three matches.
Armenia never reach any major tournament since dem turn independent, and dem go enter dis Portugal match as underdogs. Still, dem show heart last time wey dem meet Portugal for Euro 2016 qualifier, even though dem lose 3-2 for home.
Armenia form (all competitions):
L W L L L D
Portugal form (all competitions):
W D L W W W
Team News
Armenia no get uncapped midfielder Narek Grigoryan wey dey injured. Norberto Briasco sef withdraw for family reason. But Lucas Zelarayan and Grant-Leon Ranos (Borussia Monchengladbach) don return to squad.
Vahan Bichakhchyan (Legia Warsaw) fit control midfield creativity, while veteran striker Tigran Barseghyan dey chase im 10th goal for national team.
For Portugal side, Rafael Leao (AC Milan) no dey available because calf injury, while Diogo Dalot (Man United) don withdraw after muscle problem. Dis mean Joao Cancelo and Joao Neves fit fight for right-back slot.
Pedro Neto and Francisco Conceicao go likely join Cristiano Ronaldo upfront. Ronaldo don score five goals for just four games against Armenia, including hat-trick for 2015 3-2 win.
Midfield battle dey between Ruben Neves and Vitinha. Ruben Neves go wear Jota’s number 21 shirt to honour am, na Jota family even give consent.
Armenia possible starting lineup:
Cancarevic; Hovhannisyan, Mkrtchyan, Arutyunyan, Muradyan, Tiknizyan; Iwu, Dashyan; Bichakhchyan, Zelarayan; Barseghyan
Portugal possible starting lineup:
Costa; Cancelo, Dias, A. Silva, Mendes; Fernandes, R. Neves, Bernardo; Conceicao, Ronaldo, Neto
We Say: Armenia 0-3 Portugal
Portugal too strong for Armenia. Even if Martinez no use im full strongest XI, di Selecao get too much quality for dis Armenia squad wey don dey leak goals steady. Na clean win we dey see for Portugal.
