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The captain of the Portuguese team has an infection in the toe of his right foot
Croatian soccer coach, Zlatko Dalic, regretted this Friday the possible absence of Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo in this Saturday’s match between Portugal and Croatia, in the first round of the Nations League.
The captain of the Portuguese team suffers an infection in the toe of his right foot, which compromises his use in this match, and may add to the confirmed casualties of Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic on the Eastern European side.
“They are three great players and they will be missed in this match. Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best athletes in the world, we regret not being able to participate,” said Zlatko Dalic, unable to say which team will be more fragile with these absences.
“We don’t have two of our best players [Modric e Rakitic], and we will miss them, but we will give the opportunity to others, who are the future of Croatia, “said the coach, in the preview of the challenge, which takes place at the Estádio do Dragão, in Porto.
Like his Portuguese counterpart Fernando Santos, Zlatko Dalic also considered that his team will not be in the best physical shape, but he still expects “a good football match”.
“I expect a difficult match, scheduled at a difficult time, when many athletes are on vacation and some have not played yet. But I expect a good football match. We have equal opportunities with Portugal, although it is always difficult to play, outside, against him. winner of the European Championship and League of Nations ”, said the Croatian coach.
These difficulties were also anticipated by the player Domagoj Vida, who will be the team captain in the absence of Modric, recalling that “the entire offensive line in Portugal is very effective.”
“Croatia and Portugal have one of the best players in the world, I hope it will be a good match for our fans. From us, they can always expect the best,” said the center-back who represents the Turks from Besiktas.
Vida acknowledged that the task of his team “becomes a little easier if Cristiano Ronaldo does not play”, but, on the other hand, ensures that “it is always a challenge to face the best players in the world.”
“Portugal has other good players who will create a lot of danger for us. But we are not going to focus on a single opponent, as we did not with Messi when we played against Argentina. We cannot afford to be neglected,” Vida said.
This Saturday Portugal will face Croatia, in the first round of the Football Nations League, in a match scheduled for 7:45 p.m., at Estádio do Dragão, in Porto, which will be refereed by Italian Davide Massa.
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