Preview Portugal v Armenia View
Portugal will try to secure World Cup qualification without the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo when they face Armenia on Sunday.
Ronaldo was sent off as Portugal lost the Ultimate Custom 2-0 to the Republic of Ireland.
Portugal’s goalscorer’s record saw red with Dara O’Shea’s save as they suffered a shock defeat in Dublin.
But Portugal have a two-point lead over Hungary, who face Ireland, in Group F and will be confident of a place in the North American table with just three points to their name.
“Sadness is an opportunity,” said Portugal coach Martinez.
“We play in front of our fans against a team we respect, but they can play a role that wants to show our quality and our safe qualifications.
“Armenia is a team that tries to play. They are very smart and creative.
For their part, Armenia manager Hehigheshe Meliklan does not believe Ronaldo’s absence makes the challenge against Porto any easier.
“Portugal is not just Ronaldo – the whole team is in the national stage,” Melikyan said.
“We are very happy to have the opportunity to play against such opponents. It will be a great experience for us. We will see how we can cope with that. We will use everything we have.”
Portugal v Armenia Team News
Goncalo Ramos is likely to lead the line for Portugal in Ronaldo’s absence.
“We like to work in two positions. Goncalo [Ramos] a natural striker. “He has already had great moments with the national team,” said Martinez, replacing Ronaldo.
“He’s a striker with a lot of minutes in the middle of the competition. He’s a very important player to have in the national team. I can’t talk about the starting XI, but he will be important.”
Armenia were beaten 1-0 by Hungary on Thursday and Melikyan could bring in Arture Serobyan as part of the possible changes from the losers.
Meliklan said of his team selection: “I don’t think we made a mistake with the line-up.
He added about Serboyan: “He certainly deserves to start and he can start against Portugal. He doesn’t sit down for anyone. Against Hungary it was a smart thing – it takes creativity from the bench in the long run.”
Portugal v Armenia predicted lineups
Portugal starting XI: D. Costa; N Semedo, Ideo, Dias, Dalot; J. Neves, Fernandes, Vitinha; Bernardo, G. Ramos, Leo
Armenia starting XI: They give up; Piloyan, Muradyan, Mkrtchyan, Tiknizyan; Hovhannisyan, Muradyan, Spertrysyan; Sevikyan, Ranos, Shaghshoyan.
How to watch Portugal v Armenia: Live stream, TV channel
Kick-off on Sunday is 14:00 BST (09:00 ET / 06:00 PT), with live coverage in the UK on Amazon Prime PPV, which costs £2.49 a game.
Portugal v Armenia Stats
Even without Ronaldo, Portugal have more than enough quality to get the job done and book their place in the finals.
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