George Jesus, the head coach of the Portugal national team, has announced his 28-man squad for the final two matches of Group A4 in the UEFA Nations League. In this squad, right-back Alberto Costa and forward Gustavo Valera have been called up to the national team for the first time.
Match schedule and national team goals
The Portugal national team will host Denmark in Braga on November 14 and will then travel to Cardiff on November 17 to face Wales. Portugal, which has already qualified for the quarter-finals alongside Spain, aims to win both matches and top the Group A4 standings.
Changes in the national team squad
This squad announcement comes after Cristiano Ronaldo's international retirement and is considered the first selection since the departure of this legendary captain from national football. Additionally, Alberto Costa from FC Porto and Gustavo Valera from Monza are notable new players in this squad. Valera is in excellent form in Serie A, leading the scoring charts with nine goals.
The Portugal national team will be without Francisco Conceição due to suspension and Nuno Mendes due to injury for these two matches. However, João Casulo has been included in the squad, although he will be suspended for the first match against Denmark. He will be available for the subsequent match against Wales.
This squad also sees the return of Antonio Silva, Mateus Fernandes, and Carlos Ferbs, with promising young players like Rodrigo Mora and Geovani Kenda also being called up. Jesus commented on the changes in the squad: "Compared to the previous selection, we have seven new players. We intend to evaluate their performances shown at their clubs and invite them to the national team. Five of these players have previously been part of the under-21 team. In light of Chris's [Cristiano Ronaldo] comments, we want to focus on the renewal and future of the national team."
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa, Rui Silva, Samuel Soares.
Defenders: João Casulo, Diogo Dalot, Alberto Costa, Ruben Dias, Renato Vega, Thomas Araújo, Antonio Silva, Gonçalo Inácio, Nuno Tavares.
Midfielders: Ruben Neves, João Palhinha, Mateus Fernandes, João Neves, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva.
Forwards: Pedro Neto, Francisco Trincão, Rafael Leão, Geovani Kenda, Carlos Ferbs, João Félix, Gonçalo Ramos, Fábio Silva, Gustavo Valera.
