Denmarkvs.Portugal

The winners of this two-legged contest will face either Italy or Germany in the semi-finals in June.

Match preview

After being knocked out in the last 16 of Euro 2024 by host nation Germany last summer, Denmark accumulated eight points from six games (W2 D2 L2) to finish second in League A Group 4 of the Nations League in the second half of last year.

Lars Knudsen took interim charge of Denmark's first four group games following the resignation of Kasper Hjulmand, before new head coach Brian Riemer took the reins in October last year, although the 46-year-old is still searching for his first win in charge of the national team.

Indeed, Riemer suffered a 2-1 home defeat to European champions Spain in his first game as Denmark boss before the Red and Whites were held to a goalless stalemate by Serbia in their final group match, a result that was enough to secure second place in League A Group 4.

Denmark are now competing in the knockout rounds of the Nations League for the first time, but securing their spot in the final four could prove challenging, as they have only won three of their 16 meetings with Portugal in all competitions (D2 L11).

Nevertheless, the Red and Whites can take confidence from the fact that they have only lost one of their last 15 home internationals (W11 D2) and that was the aforementioned defeat to Spain in mid-November.

Portugal were beaten by France on penalties in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 last summer, but they responded well by recording four wins and two draws across their six Nations League matches at the end of last year to finish top of League A Group 1, six points clear of their nearest challengers Croatia.

Roberto Martinez's men concluded 2024 with a bizarre 5-1 home win over Poland - a game which was goalless until the 59th minute - before playing out a 1-1 draw in a dead-rubber fixture with Croatia in their most recent match in mid-November.

Ranked sixth in the world by FIFA and 15 placed above Denmark (21st), Portugal are now bidding to become the first country to win the Nations League twice, having previously triumphed in the inaugural 2018-19 tournament.

A Selecao will back themselves to come out on top against Denmark and move one step closer to Nations League glory, as they have won four of their last five meetings with the Red and Whites, including their last two by 1-0 scorelines in Euro 2016 qualifying.

However, Portugal's form on the road over the past 12 months has been patchy, as they have only won two of their last six internationals away from home (D2 L2) and have failed to score in three of those matches.

Denmark Nations League form:

W

W

L

D

L

D

Portugal Nations League form:

W

W

W

D

W

D

Team News

Denmark captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Mads Roerslev have both withdrawn from the squad due to injury, while the likes of Kasper Dolberg, Alexander Bah and Matt O'Riley are also unavailable for the hosts.

Riemer will likely stick with the 4-3-3 formation that he deployed in his first two games in charge, with Rasmus Kristensen, Joachim Andersen, Jannik Vestergaard and either Joakim Maehle or Patrick Dorgu potentially lining up in a four-man defence.

Christian Eriksen could make his 141st international appearance in midfield alongside Christian Norgaard and Morten Hjulmand, while in-form Monaco striker Mika Biereth - who has netted 11 times in 12 games since joining the club in January - could be handed his senior international debut, unless Rasmus Hojlund is preferred to lead the line.

As for Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to earn his 218th international cap at the age of 40 and the Al-Nassr star could be joined in attack by Pedro Neto and Rafael Leao.

However, 17-year-old winger Geovany Quenda, who has reportedly agreed to join Chelsea from Sporting Lisbon, is another attacker at Martinez's disposal and could make his senior international debut in some capacity on Thursday.

Bruno Fernandes is set to start in midfield after missing the previous international match through suspension, while fellow Manchester-based Premier League players Ruben Dias and Diogo Dalot could be handed starts in defence.

Denmark possible starting lineup:

Schmeichel; Kristensen, Andersen, Vestergaard, Maehle; Hjulmand, Norgaard, Eriksen; Skov Olsen, Biereth, Damsgaard

Portugal possible starting lineup:

Costa; Dalot, A. Silva, Dias, Mendes; Vitinha, Neves; Neto, Fernandes, Leao; Ronaldo

We say: Denmark 0-1 Portugal

There has been little to separate these two nations in recent meetings, with each of the last four victors in this fixture winning by just a one-goal margin (three wins for Portugal and one for Denmark).

Another closely-contested battle could be in store on Thursday, and while Denmark boast a strong home record, we are backing Ronaldo and co to come away with a narrow first-leg victory.

Written by

Oliver Thomas

Previews by email