#2 William Carvalho:
Although initially 2nd choice in the holding midfielders’ role behind Danilo, Carvalho’s display as a sub in Portugal’s opening match against Iceland saw him replace Danilo in that position for the subsequent matches. The Sporting Lisbon midfielder is a giant of a man, standing at 1.89 metres tall which makes him an excellent contender to deal with the aerial threat and physical presence of Robert Lewandowski.
The 24-year-old is a calm and controlling presence in the midfield, which is extremely useful given Portugal’s 4-3-3 formation which can be susceptible to counter attacks. A veteran of many a transfer saga, Carvalho has been wooed by many of Europe’s elite, who have taken a liking to his abilities to control the pace of the game in midfield.
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Having been eligible for both Portugal and Angola, he chose Portugal. He made his debut in 2013, in a world cup qualification playoff match against Sweden. He has made 23 appearances since then. Carvalho was selected as the best player in the European Under 21 Championships of 2015 despite missing the crucial kick in the penalty shootout in the final against Sweden.
Portugal will be hoping for another imperious risk-free performance from the big man tonight.
