PORTUGAL will be looking to cement their position at the summit of Group A when they welcome Republic of Ireland in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday night.
Fernando Santos’s side sit top of the pool after posting wins over Azerbaijan and Luxembourg either side of a 2-2 draw away at Serbia.
The Iberians were dethroned as European champions earlier this summer at Euro 2020, where they were knocked out by Belgium in the last 16.
Defending their continental crown was never going to be an easy task but Santos and Co will now have their sights firmly set on stamping their ticket to next year’s showpiece in Qatar.
Republic of Ireland, meanwhile, face an uphill battle in their bid to qualify for World Cup 2022 after a disastrous 1-0 defeat in Dublin against lowly Luxembourg.
That fixture looked like a fantastic opportunity for Stephen Kenny to bag his first win as national boss but the Irish chief had to wait until June’s friendly fixtures, as his side came from behind to earn a 4-1 win in Andorra.
Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo said he wants Ireland fans to boo him in Thursday’s World Cup qualifier in Dublin.
Portugal will reach the 2026 World Cup finals with a victory and Ronaldo said if the crowd focused on him it could take pressure off his team-mates.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is aiming to play at a sixth World Cup next summer and Portugal lead qualifying Group F by five points with two matches remaining.
“The stadium will boo me, I’m used to it, I certainly hope they do — maybe it will take the pressure off other players,” Ronaldo told a news conference Wednesday.
Ronaldo said he expected it would be a “difficult” match, with Ireland sitting back and denying him and his team-mates space.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward was also asked about the possibility of scoring his 1000th career goal in the World Cup final.
“You’ve been watching too many movies, that would be too perfect,” laughed Ronaldo, 40.
“Getting back to reality, all this data makes me happy. A national team never depends on one player, but I like being able to make a difference with goals.
“It’s always good to score goals, that’s my position. I want to play in this next World Cup, otherwise I wouldn’t be here, but let’s take it step by step.”
Ronaldo, currently playing at Saudi Arabia side Al Nassr, has scored 953 goals in his career to date.
The striker is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 goals and said Tuesday he believes the 2026 World Cup will be his last and he expects to retire from football within a couple of years.
However on Wednesday Ronaldo said he preferred to focus on the team’s goal of qualifying rather than discuss his future in the game.
“There’s no point in being repetitive and losing focus,” he added.
“Maybe later on I’ll give more interviews and speak more clearly about what I think for the future, but Portugal has another opportunity to be in another finals.”
