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Fresh off the back of a nerve-racking win over Ireland, Portugal travel to the Nagyerdei Stadion on Saturday for a friendly tie against 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts Qatar.
The hosts suffered a heavy 4-0 home defeat at the hands of Serbia on Wednesday and will be looking to bounce back from that performance.
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In a one-sided affair, goals from Luka Jovic, Dušan Vlahović, Nikola Milenković and an own goal from Boualem Khoukhi handed the Serbians a commanding win.
This followed a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the USA in the semi-finals of the Gold Cup which ended their 11-game unbeaten run.
Head coach Felix Sanchez will hope his side can bounce back from their consecutive defeats and return to winning ways.
Meanwhile, Portugal continued their hunt for a place in the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday as they claimed a late 2-1 win over Ireland.
After falling behind through John Egan’s opener, Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in injury time to hand Portugal all three points.
In doing so, the newly-signed Manchester United man became the all-time Leading goalscorer in men's international football.
Portugal currently lead the way in Group A of the World Cup qualifiers, three points above second-placed Serbia.
Qatar vs Portugal Head-To-Head
Saturday’s game will be the first-ever meeting between the two sides and they will both be looking to begin the rivalry on a winning note.
Qatar Form Guide (all competitions): W-W-W-L-L
Portugal Form Guide (all competitions): W-L-D-L-W
Qatar vs Portugal Team News
Qatar
Al Duhail forward Mohammed Muntari has been sidelined from Qatar’s 31-man squad after sustaining a training ground injury.
Injured: Mohammed Muntari
Suspended: None
Portugal
Following an injury-free game against the Republic of Ireland, Portugal head into the game with a fully fit squad. Cristiano Ronaldo has been released early from the Portugal squad as he is suspended for one game after picking up a booking last time out.
He will officially be suspended for the Azerbaijan game but Fernando Santos has released him from his squad for the Qatar encounter. The coach has done so to enable Ronaldo to fly to Manchester earlier than originally planned ahead of his move back to Old Trafford.
Injured: None
Suspended: Cristiano Ronaldo
Qatar vs Portugal Predicted XI
Qatar Predicted XI (5-3-2): Saad Al Sheeb; Pedro Miguel, Tarek Salman, Boualem Khoukhi, Bassam Al-Rawi, Abdelkarim Hassan; Hassan Al Heidos, Karim Boudiaf, Mohammed Al Bayati; Ahmed Alaa Eldin, Almoez Ali
Portugal Predicted XI (4-3-3): Rui Patrício; João Cancelo, Pepe, Rúben Dias, Raphaël Guerreiro; Bernardo Silva, João Palhinha, Bruno Fernandes; Rafa Silva, André Silva, Diogo Jota
Qatar vs Portugal Prediction
Looking at the gulf in class and experience between the two sides, we are tipping Portugal to come away with the win and continue their fine run of results.
Prediction: Qatar 0-3 Portugal
