Slovenia vs Portugal
Slovenia rallied late during their International Friendly against Malta in Ta’ Qali and forced a 2-2 draw in front of the roaring Maltese crowd in attendance at the National Stadium. Luckily for captain Jan Oblak and his teammates, they can still garner a win during this international window when they host the thriving Portugal outfit at Stožice Stadium next week.
It won’t be a walk in the park for the Slovenians, not by the very least, because Roberto Martinez is poised to deploy his talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo, for their not-so-friendly clash. Ronaldo and other notable names were sidelined during their encounter with Sweden. Portugal cruised past Sweden with a 5-2 score line, and one can just imagine how polarising the Portuguese can be if they’re in full health.
Slovenian fans can only hope and pray that Oblak and the rest of Kekci are up for the challenge. Luckily for Slovenia, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, and Rúben Dias, as well as Gonçalo Ramos, Rafael Leão, João Palhinha, Nélson Semedo, and Toti Gomes, will not play for Portugal during their tie.
“It is important to work on different concepts, especially because Slovenia has a very similar structure to today’s opponent. There are eight players who leave and another eight players who also arrive at a high level for the second game, with hunger and a lot of energy,” Portugal head coach Roberto Martínez stated.
This will be yet another different Portugal squad that will grace the pitch, but expect them to still be the International Friendly 2024 odds favourites for this upcoming clash.
Talking Points
Cristiano Ronaldo called up for Portugal
Portugal’s captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, was not in the lineup for Roberto Martínez during their international friendly against Sweden a few days ago.
Roberto Martínez has allowed the Al-Nassr star to take some extra time off to recover and avoid any injuries or fatigue ahead of the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany this June. For Ronaldo, the upcoming Euros will likely be his last major tournament donning the iconic Portugal kit, so the team erred on the side of caution and afforded him some extra rest.
But the 39-year-old will still feature with Portugal this international window, as he is expected to suit up for their next match against Slovenia at Stožice Stadium.
Aside from CR7, notable names like Diogo Dalot, Joao Cancelo, Danilo Pereira, Otavio, Ruben Neves, Vitinha, and Joao Felix also sat out during their 5-2 thrashing of Sweden at Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques.
Head coach Roberto Martínez ran a tight ship during the absence of some of his key players, while the likes of Rafael Leão, Bruno Fernandes, and Matheus Nunes carried the offencive load against the Swedes. They managed not only to get the win but also provided some of the best International Friendly 2024 highlights to boot.
Roberto Martinez is the X factor
Since taking over, Roberto Martinez has led Portugal to nothing but wins. As Portugal manager, Martinez boasts 11 wins in 11 matches, while scoring 41 goals with just four conceded. And with their recent thrashing of Sweden, Portugal look like they are the hottest team entering the Euros in June.
The former Belgium manager who led the Red Devils to a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup has created a monster in Portugal alongside his appointed Ricardo Carvalho and Ricard. They won all 10 of their group matches in qualifying, and since then, the world has taken notice.
Martinez even proved that his outfit can perform even without their talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo, as they dominated a convincing Sweden side with a humbling 5-2 score line.
The 50-year-old was brought in in hopes of picking up the fallen pieces and battered morale of the Portuguese side after their quarterfinal exit in the 2022 World Cup, and it looks like Martinez is up for the task—at least this SBOTOP writer thinks so.
History
This will be the first time Slovenia and Portugal will face off in recent times, so both teams should take advantage of the clean slate and strive to get ahead in their heat-to-head matchups.
In recent form, Portugal have been unstoppable, particularly since Roberto Martinez became the man at the helm. Since then, Portugal have won 11 straight matches, 10 in the qualifiers, and another one in their recent tie against Sweden.
They were able to dominate Sweden with a 5-2 score line despite the absence of Ronaldo and other key players. Expect more of the same form from Portugal when they face off against Slovenia next week.
Slovenia, on the other hand, won seven games in the qualifiers and tallied a 2-2 draw against Malta in an international friendly bout a few days ago. In their last five, Slovenia have won three games, lost one, and tallied one draw.
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