Portugal have received a major boost ahead of their final World Cup warm-up against Nigeria after their Paris Saint-Germain quartet of Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, João Neves, and Gonçalo Ramos linked up with the national squad on Saturday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
They join the team four days before Wednesday’s friendly at the Estádio Dr Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria — a clash that Super Eagles striker Terem Moffi has already warned will be a different proposition entirely from the test Nigeria navigated in Poland.
Mendes, Vitinha, Neves and Ramos had been absent from Portugal’s opening training sessions of the international window, having been involved in PSG’s Champions League final triumph over Arsenal the previous Saturday.
Mendes, Vitinha and Neves all started the final, while Ramos came off the bench late in the second half. Portuguese newspaper A Bola confirmed that Friday’s training session was the last conducted without the PSG contingent, with all four joining the full squad on Saturday.
The quartet missed Portugal’s friendly against Chile at the Estádio Nacional do Jamor on Saturday but are expected to be available for the Nigeria match on Wednesday, fitness permitting.
Portugal head coach Roberto Martínez is expected to have a full complement of players available for the clash, with João Félix also taking part in the first 15 minutes of Friday’s session that was open to the media as he continues his return to fitness.
Portugal and Nigeria have met just once at senior level. That encounter, played in Lisbon on November 17, 2022 — another pre-World Cup friendly — ended in a 4-0 victory for the Portuguese, with Bruno Fernandes scoring twice, Gonçalo Ramos adding a third and João Mário completing the rout. Nigeria missed a penalty through Emmanuel Dennis.
Four years on, Eric Chelle’s side arrive in a markedly different position, having just retained the Unity Cup in London with victories over Zimbabwe and Jamaica before drawing 2-2 with Poland in Warsaw in a game where they twice led.
Portugal goalkeeper Jose Sá and Manchester City defender Ruben Dias have both publicly underscored the seriousness with which the Portuguese are approaching Wednesday’s encounter, with Sá pointing to its importance in helping the team sharpen tactical patterns ahead of the World Cup. Portugal have been drawn alongside DR Congo, Colombia and Uzbekistan in their World Cup group.
For Nigeria, Moffi’s assessment was blunt, saying, “We had a good game against Poland, and I am happy I scored. However, I think Portugal will be a very difficult test for the Super Eagles.”
Chelle will be without several key figures for the clash. Super Eagles captain Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman withdrew from the squad, citing the demands of a long club season, while Ola Aina was omitted after missing the closing stages of his club campaign through injury.
