Preview:Portugal vs Republic of Ireland - prediction, team news, lineups

Portugal will endeavour to preserve their perfect start in 2026 World Cup qualifying when they welcome the Republic of Ireland to Estadio Jose Alvalade on Saturday night.

The two nations meet for the first time since June 2024 when Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in a comfortable 3-0 friendly win for Selecao das Quinas on home soil.

Match preview

After winning an unprecedented second UEFA Nations League title in June, Portugal kick-started their World Cup qualification campaign with back-to-back victories over Armenia and Hungary last month, scoring eight goals in the process.

Selecao das Quinas cruised to a 5-0 away win over Armenia on matchday one, before they left it late to seal maximum points against Hungary, with Joao Cancelo netting an 86th-minute winner in a 3-2 away victory.

Portugal are ‘working towards a dream’ to win their first ever World Cup next summer and head coach Roberto Martinez has revealed that he ‘believes in numbers’, particularly the number six after referring to Portugal’s best performance at the World Cup in 1966 (finishing third) and winning Euro 2016.

The world’s fifth-highest ranked nation are already guaranteed a playoff place in World Cup qualifying following their aforementioned Nations League triumph, but Martinez’s men are in the driving seat to secure top spot in Group F, as they already sit three points clear at the summit.

Portugal are looking to extend their winning run in all competitions to six matches and they will fancy their chances of claiming a positive result on Saturday, as they have won three of their last four encounters with the Republic of Ireland (D1).

Not since 2006 have the Republic of Ireland qualified for the World Cup and they already face an uphill battle to secure their spot at the 2026 tournament, after collecting just one point from their opening two matches in Group F.

The Boys in Green came from two goals behind to rescue a 2-2 draw at home to 10-man Hungary on matchday one last month, before they were outplayed in a humbling 2-1 away defeat to an Armenian outfit ranked 45 places below them in the FIFA World Rankings.

Heimir Hallgrimsson's side are determined to put things right, with midfielder Finn Azaz acknowledging that the players "know we have let people down and let ourselves down" with recent performances in qualifying.

Ireland will aim to get their revenge over Armenia in next Tuesday’s potentially-pivotal fixture, but they must first shift their focus to a tricky trip to Portugal, as they attempt to pull off an almighty upset and win their first ever game on Portuguese soil at the seventh time of asking (D1 L5).

Success on the road has been hard to come by for Ireland, though, as they travel to Lisbon this weekend having come out on top in only two of their last eight away international games (D1 L5), failing to score in four of those matches.

Portugal World Cup qualifying form:

W W

Portugal form (all competitions):

L W W W W W

Republic of Ireland World Cup qualifying form:

D L

Republic of Ireland form (all competitions):

W W D D D L

Team News

Portugal will be without Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Joao Neves and Al-Hilal full-back Joao Cancelo as they are both nursing hamstring injuries.

Lazio’s Nuno Tavares was recently added to Martinez’s squad, but Nuno Mendes is set to start at left-back this weekend, while Nelson Semedo and Diogo Dalot battle it out for a place at right-back.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes are the most likely duo to link arms with Vitinha in midfield, while 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo - who has already scored three goals in two 2026 World Cup qualifiers and has also netted four times in five previous appearances against Ireland - is expected to lead the line.

As for Republic of Ireland, Matt Doherty, Jason Knight, Bosun Lawal, Callum O'Dowda, Sammie Szmodics are all ruled out through injury, with the latter two forced to withdraw earlier this week.

In the absence of Doherty, Seamus Coleman returns to the squad for the first time since September 2024 and he is set to compete with Chiedozie Ogbene for a start at right wing-back.

Meanwhile, Hull City’s John Egan has earned his first call-up since September 2023, but the centre-back is not expected to start ahead of Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea or Jake O’Brien.

Troy Parrott has been included in Hallgrimsson's squad after missing the September window through injury. The striker featured as a substitute for AZ Alkmaar last weekend and he will be assessed by the FAI medical team ahead of kickoff.

Portugal possible starting lineup:

Costa; Dalot, Dias, Inacio, Mendes; Bernardo, Vitinha, Fernandes; Conceicao, Ronaldo, Neto

Republic of Ireland possible starting lineup:

Kelleher; O'Brien, O'Shea, Collins; Ogbene; Cullen, Knight, Manning; Taylor, Azaz; Ferguson

We say: Portugal 3-0 Republic of Ireland

Hallgrimsson has admitted that his job is at risk and the pressure is mounting on the Ireland boss to pick up valuable points in World Cup qualifying. However, it is difficult to envisage the Boys in Green claiming any form of positive result against a strong Portugal outfit that should ultimately have too much quality for the visitors.

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