Ireland vs Portgual preview: Ronaldo and co out to secure World Cup ticket in Dublin

Currently one win away from booking a place in the 2026 World Cup, Portugal will head to the Aviva Stadium on Thursday for their penultimate qualifying match against Ireland.

Securing a place in the play-offs by finishing second in their group is the priority for the Republic of Ireland, as automatic qualification is now out of the equation.

Portugal preview

Portugal were minutes away from securing a spot in the next edition of football’s biggest tournament before conceding a late equaliser against Hungary.

That snapped a run of six straight wins for Roberto Martinez’s men since they were beaten 1-0 by Denmark in March.

Portugal are in pole position to finish top of Group F, given their five-point lead over Hungary heading into the penultimate set of games.

The Nations League champions will be confident of completing the job on Thursday, given their near-perfect record against Ireland (W4, D1).

Ireland preview

Despite their dismal record against Portugal, Ireland can head into Thursday’s contest with some optimism, having not lost in front of their fans since September 2024.

Heimir Hallgrimsson’s men began their quest to qualify for a first World Cup tournament since 2002 on a rocky note after collecting just one point from their opening three matches.

However, the Boys in Green secured a crucial 1-0 triumph over Armenia on October 14, reigniting their global aspirations as they now sit just one point behind Hungary in the battle for a place in the play-offs.

With Hungary scheduled to face off against Armenia before Ireland face Portugal, they could potentially be four points adrift of second place at kick-off, which would make a victory non-negotiable.

Team news

Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty in the most recent meeting between Portugal and Ireland, but he boasts a good record in this fixture after scoring four times across the previous encounters.

Nuno Tavares is battling a calf problem and misses out for the away side alongside Pedro Neto, who recently pulled out of the squad.

Club Brugge forward Carlos Forbs has the opportunity to make his international debut after receiving a maiden call-up in the wake of his recent Champions League hat-trick against Barcelona.

Evan Ferguson has scored three of Ireland’s four World Cup qualifying goals, but will not take part in Thursday’s game due to a knee problem.

In Ferguson’s absence, Johnny Kenny will be looking to impress. He has been in good form, scoring four goals in his last four outings.

Ireland Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Kelleher; O’Brien, Collins, O’Shea; Coleman, Smallbone, Molumby, Manning; Ebosele, Kenny; Parrott.

Portugal Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Costa; Semedo, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha; Felix, Fernandes, Silva; Ronaldo.