Portugal will kick off their UEFA Nations League campaign on Monday night against Italy. The Italians have already experienced their first match in the tournament against Poland. Now, they must get up for the Euro 2016 champions.
Portugal will host the fixture in Lisbon at the home of Benfica and will have solid support behind them.
The two nations have met five times over the last 18 years. The last time Portugal clashed with Italy was all the way back in 2015. The match ended in a Portugal win. Prior to their win, Portugal had gone four games without defeating the Italians.
Roberto Mancini’s Azzurri won all four of those fixtures, but the victories did come between 2000 and 2008. A lot has changed for both nations in the last 10 years and it is difficult to go on past results to predict Monday night’s match in Lisbon.
Portugal will be without star Cristiano Ronaldo. The Juventus forward was left out of the squad and this may be the beginning of life without him. Ronaldo carried Portugal during the World Cup. His four goals were immense, but three of those came in the opening match against Spain. Portugal then stuttered to the round of 16 before being knocked out by Uruguay.
There is a possibility that Portugal could be better without Ronaldo. Due to the team relying heavily on the Juventus star, Portugal could play more cohesively without him.
Although Ronaldo will sit out the first match of the UEFA Nations League, he could return for Portugal’s future games. Manager Fernando Santos still wants the Juventus player to be a part of the squad.
Mancini has his work cut out for him. He must bring a sleeping giant of world football back to prominence. It is a big task and he is hoping to bring youngsters into the national team to accomplish it. Striker Mario Balotelli is another player Mancini hopes can help turnaround the Azzurri’s fortunes. Balotelli scored in Italy’s pre-World Cup friendly against Saudi Arabia.
Italy were in decline for some time following their 2006 World Cup win. The team briefly got things under control at Euro 2012 and Euro 2016, but with managers departing after both tournaments, it has left the side in its current state.
Portugal won’t be a walk through the park, and Italy will need their best players rising to the occasion. Portugal will need someone to fill-in the role of Ronaldo, which is easier said the done.