Portugal will line up without Cristiano Ronaldo at Wembley
Thursday 2 June 2016 17:29, UK
Portugal boss Fernando Santos says Thursday's friendly with England is a good opportunity for his side to show they can perform well without Cristiano Ronaldo.
The prolific Real Madrid forward will be a key man for Portugal at the upcoming Euro 2016 tournament but he will be sitting out the Wembley showdown.
The 31-year-old has been given time off after scoring the winning penalty in Saturday's Champions League final and will join up with his national team at the weekend.
The likes of Braga forward Rafa and former Manchester United man Nani, now with Fenerbahce, are therefore likely to be in attack for Portugal on Thursday.
And Santos says he is looking forward to seeing how his team get on without their star performer.
"All my players are important," said Santos. "Portugal is not a one-man team, I want to test my whole squad.
"Ronaldo said he played 4,000 minutes this season but when they booked this match, we didn't know he would be playing in the Champions League final.
"Of course he's very important, like he would be for any other team in the world, but this is a good opportunity to play without him.
"I hope he will play seven games in France but we need to know how to play without him.
"All my players were tired and they have to rest physically and mentally. I'm not worried about this, because we are having good preparation."
Wayne Rooney will captain the England side but it is not known whether he will be deployed up front or in a deeper role.
Santos is unconcerned about that factor but does believe England are among the favourites to win in France.
"Of course Rooney is important but it is not my business to know about him," said the Portugal boss.
"It is [England manager] Roy Hodgson's business and he knows Rooney can be dangerous near or far from the goal.
"I've seen England play, they have talented players and they can win in France. England have big ambition, they are one of the favourites.
"They are one of the strongest teams in the world, both with individual quality and team work. The manager is very clever and it will be a tough match.
"We need to win in France, so it is not mandatory to win here, but there will be a fantastic atmosphere at Wembley and it's an important match, as we are representing Portugal."
