Portugal are set to lock horns with Sweden in an international friendly on Friday although one of the biggest names in world football – Cristiano Ronaldo – will not be featuring in the game. Ronaldo has been rested by Portuguese head coach Roberto Martinez, meaning the Selecao will rely on the likes of Rafael Leao, Bruno Fernandes and other star names to pick out a win.
The friendly will be all about fine-tuning their preparations for the UEFA Euro 2024 for Portugal who dominated the qualifying campaign, recording 10 wins without suffering a solitary defeat. Martinez’s side will be hoping to carry forward that momentum against a Sweden unit who failed to qualify for the Euros for the first time in almost three decades.
Portugal have been kept in Group F of the Euro 2024, wherein they will be battling the likes of Czech Republic, Turkey and one of Georgia, Luxembourg, Greece, or Kazakhstan.
On the other hand, Sweden, under their new coach Jon Dahl Tomasson, will look to build some momentum after Janne Andersson resigned as head coach, with the Swedish team failing to qualify for the Euros. Currently ranked 26th in the FIFA World rankings, the Blue-Yellow will be playing four friendly matches in the next four months as they look to prepare for the UEFA Nations League fixtures in September.
Portugal vs Sweden team news and injuries
While Cristiano Ronaldo will undoubtedly be the biggest name absent from the array of superstars, Portugal also have Renato Sanches, Joao Mario, Diogo Jota, Ricardo Horta, and Pedro Neto all ruled out through injuries. CR7 is expected to return for Portugal’s next fixture on March 27 against Slovenia. Diogo Dalot, Joao Cancelo, Danilo Pereira, Otavio, Ruben Neves, Vitinha, and Joao Felix have all been rested.
Similarly, for Sweden, Filip Helander, Ken Sema, Martin Olsson, Jesper Karlstrom, Kristoffer Olsson, Marcus Rohden, Isaac Kiese Thelin, Viktor Claesson, Robin Quaison, and Jesper Karlsson have been left out of the squad.
Portugal vs Sweden live streaming details
When will the Portugal vs Sweden international friendly match take place?
The Portugal vs Sweden international friendly match will take place on Friday, March 22, 1:15 AM IST.
Where will the Portugal vs Sweden international friendly match take place?
The Portugal vs Sweden international friendly match will take place at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques.
Where to watch the live telecast of the Portugal vs Sweden international friendly match?
The Portugal vs Sweden international friendly match live telecast will be available on the Sony Sports Network channels in India.
Where to watch the live streaming of the Portugal vs Sweden international friendly match?
The Portugal vs Sweden international friendly match live streaming will available on the SonyLiv app and website as well as the JioTv app.
Portugal vs Sweden predicted playing XI
Portugal: Costa; Semedo, Dias, Pepe, Guerreiro; Fernandes, Palhinha, J. Neves; Bernardo, Ramos, Leao
Sweden: Olsen; Holm, Hien, Lindelof, Gudmundsson; Cajuste, Larsson, Forsburg; Kulusevski, Gyokeres, Isak