Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start when Portugal travel to face Slovakia in their Euro 2024 qualifiers on Friday (September 8). The Selecao will want to maintain their 100 percent start to their qualification campaign against their Eastern European opponents.
Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, continues to lead his national side following their disappointing performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup where they lost to Morocco in the quarter-finals. The Al-Nassr superstar has been in some incredible form during the early stages of the 2023-24 season.
Ronaldo's current form should see him lead the attack and captain Portugal when they face Slovakia on Friday. Manager Roberto Martinez has numerous attacking options to partner alongside the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. The likes of Goncalo Ramos, Diogo Jota, and Rafael Leao are all in contention to start alongside Ronaldo in attack.
Martinez opted to go for a front-three comprising Ronaldo, Leao, and Bernardo Silva in their previous qualifying game against Iceland earlier this year.
Portugal have won all four of their Euro 2024 qualifying games so far and are also yet to concede a goal.
Slovakia, on the other hand, are second in Group J, just two points behind their opponents on Friday. They are, however, unbeaten in their qualifying campaign, having won three and drawn one.
How has Cristiano Ronaldo performed for Portugal in the Euro 2024 qualifiers?
Cristiano Ronaldo is men's international football's all-time leading goalscorer. The former Manchester United star has scored 123 goals from 200 caps for Portugal. His goalscoring prowess have not slowed down during the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
As things stand, Ronaldo has scored five goals from four qualifying games this year. This includes two consecutive braces against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. He also scored a goal against Iceland in a narrow 1-0 victory back in June.
Despite his age, Ronaldo shows no signs of slowing down. The Portugal skipper has had an excellent start to the new season with Al-Nassr. He has contributed six goals and five assists from five games across all competitions. This includes a hat-trick against Al-Fateh last month.
Based on his current form, it is quite evident that Cristiano Ronaldo will compete at Euro 2024 in Germany. The superstar forward will want to win his second European Championship after guiding his national team to Euro 2016 title.