Portugal lineup vs Spain: Predicted XI for UEFA Nations League final

Roberto Martinez is set to make a number of changes to his starting XI for the UEFA Nations League final against Spain on Sunday night.

The Portugal manager will be the first to hold his hands up and say he got his initial XI wrong in the semi-final win over Germany on Wednesday night, as a triple substitution is what swung the match in their favour.

A moment of brilliance from Francisco Conceicao levelled the tie, and the Juventus winger will feel hard done by if he is not named in the starting XI following the impact he had here at the Allianz Arena in midweek.

For the final in Munich, Martinez may well reunite Paris Saint-Germain team mates Vitinha and Joao Neves in midfield, after the duo won the Champions League at this stadium last weekend.

Vitinha was only a substitute against Germany, while Neves started as a right-back, with Martinez preferring Al-Hilal’s Ruben Neves in the centre of midfield instead.

One man who is certain to be in the starting XI is captain and Wednesday’s match-winner Cristiano Ronaldo, who is set to win his 221st cap for Portugal, and silenced many of his critics with that goal in the semi-final.

The goal was teed up by another of Portugal’s PSG contingent who enjoyed great success in Munich a week, Nuno Mendes, but Goncalo Ramos is set for a place on the bench again, given his limited game time in Paris.

Rodrigo Mora is the only uncapped player in the squad, and was an unused substitute on Wednesday, after coming in for the injured Geovany Quenda from the squad named in March.

Portugal possible starting lineup:

Costa; Dalot, Dias, Inacio, Mendes; J. Neves, Vitinha, Bernardo; Conceicao, Ronaldo, Fernandes

Click here to see how Spain could line up for the final.

Written by
Andrew Delaney