Portugal | VS | Chile |
| Date/Time: | Mar 26, 2011, 20:45(GMT) |
| Competition: | Friendly |
| Live/Repeat: | Live |
Portugal vs Chile Match Preview
Can Portugal continue their resurgence under new coach Paulo Bento against an attack-minded Chile?
Paulo Bento has overseen an upturn in Portugal’s fortunes since taking over from Carlos Queiroz
Paulo Bento will be looking to consolidate his encouraging start to life as Portugal coach as he prepares his team for two friendlies against Chile and Finland in the next four days.
Unmistakable signs have emerged during Bento’s tenure that he is rebuilding the Seleccao into a world force again, able to stand up to comparison next to the exciting teams that lent prestige to the country as a footballing nation throughout the first decade of the new millennium.
The former Sporting manager stepped into the breach after Carlos Queiroz’s acrimonious departure from the top job in Portugal. Just days after taking over he began to repair a Euro 2012 qualifying campaign that had started disastrously. Convincing wins over Denmark and Finland put Portugal back into the running for a place in Poland and the Ukraine, but Bento is keen not to take his eye off the ball.
“Our focus must be on the game on 4 June against Norway and these two preparation games against Chile and Finland. I’m fully concentrated on making sure the players are calm and relaxed so that they are in good shape on 4 June. Nothing else matters. We all have to look towards Euro 2012,” said Bento today at the national team’s training headquarters in Obidos.
Portugal will have to do without star player and captain Cristiano Ronaldo. This will open up a golden opportunity for another of Portugal’s wingers to stake a claim for third spot in the pecking order out wide, behind the Real Madrid man and Nani. Ricardo Quaresma, once thought to be a better prospect than Ronaldo when the two where together at Sporting early in their careers (team-mates of Bento’s at the time) appears to have rediscovered his Midas touch at Besiktas in Turkey, but Silvestre Varela, in superb form for FC Porto all season, will provide strong opposition as Portugal continue to be blessed with an embarrassment of riches as regards wingers.
Elsewhere, other positions that may have claimed rightful owners by Tuesday night are the third midfielder in Bento’s 4-3-3 and the central striker. Joao Moutinho and Raul Meireles have enjoyed wonderful seasons at Porto and Liverpool respectively and are permanent fixtures in the side. Carlos Martins (Benfica), Paulo Machado (Toulouse) and Ruben Micael (FC Porto) are battling it out to convince Bento they are the missing link in the midfield trio.
In stark contrast to the aforementioned plethora of quality wide players at the coach’s disposal, Portugal’s traditional dearth of high-class strikers is still very much in evidence. Either Helder Postiga or Hugo Almeida will get the nod, owing more to lack of credible alternatives rather than any great goal-scoring feats in recent times.
Chile provided excellent entertainment and no little skill in the World Cup in South Africa. The South American country has since changed coach, with the highly rated Marcelo Bielsa replaced by another Argentine, Claudio Borghi. Blessed with a talented squad including one of the most sought after up-and-coming talents in world football, Alexis Sanchez, the South Americans should provide a good test of Portugal’s progress on Saturday night.
