Portugal under pressure against Confed Cup hosts Russia
EUROPEAN champions Portugal are under pressure as they take on hosts Russia in the Spartak Stadium in Moscow in the Confederations Cup today.
Portugal were denied by a last-gasp goal in a 2-2 draw with Mexico and can’t afford to slip up now against Russia, whose confidence was boosted by a 2-0 win over New Zealand.
Mexico and New Zealand face off in Sochi in the other Group A game, with the Kiwis needing an improvement against the CONCACAF champions to keep their hopes alive.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo said the draw with Mexico was no cause for alarm and that the team remains “calm.”
Meanwhile Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov may not want to tinker with his starting line-up in which keeper Igor Akinfeev could play his 100th game for the national team.
“We are flexible. Everybody is ready, everybody wants to play. It’s a good, a pleasant headache for the head coach,” he said after the win over New Zealand.
Mexico now fancy their chances of reaching the semifinals, boosted by their draw with Portugal in which Bayer Leverkusen striker Javier Hernandez, Mexico’s all-time leading national team scorer, again proved his worth with his 48th goal for Mexico.
Coach Juan Carlos Osorio likes to rotate so changes could come, perhaps with the inclusion of 38-year-old defender Rafael Marquez, who has recovered from a back operation in April.
New Zealand are out to end a sequence of 10 games without a win at the Confederations Cup, including nine defeats, while they have not scored in their last five matches at the tournament.
New Zealand coach Anthony Hudson, who saw his side narrowly lose 2-1 to Mexico in a friendly in October, said: “We have to be incredibly single minded, mentally tough. We have to take confidence in the fact we played Mexico last year and did well against them.” – dpa