Portugal to retain hopes of sealing top spot
Portugal travel to the Fortuna Arena in Prague to take on Czechia in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday night. Fernando Santos knows that his side realistically must beat the hosts to keep pace with Spain before their showdown on Tuesday, which could determine who tops the group and qualifies for the semi-finals. Read our preview here:
Kuchta something up
The previous two matches in the group were both lost 2-0 to the Iberian nations, ruining the good start Jaroslav Šilhavý's side had made. Relegation to the 'B' cluster of teams remains a possibility with Switzerland just a point behind and goals hard to come by. Slavia Praha striker Jan Kuchta has managed to find the next twice in the pool, but will need plenty of support against a deep, imperious visiting backline. That means getting the likes of Leverkusen forward Adam Hložek heavily involved in promising positions and taking risks with the wing-back system.
Cancelo culture
Santos has no major injury concerns ahead of the weekend, so will surely recall Cristiano Ronaldo to the front three, which also contains sought-after AC Milan star Rafael Leão, who has three goals and three assists thus far this season for his club. Versatile full-back João Cancelo too has been in superb form domestically for Manchester City, and is extremely effective at cutting inside with or without the ball to provide deep crosses with the outside of his boot. His national team head coach always favours a safety-first approach, but he should be the key man alongside Bruno Fernandes in making things happen.
Betting tip
bet365 have odds of 6.50 for a narrow 1-0 win to the visitors.
