Portugal vs China date and venue defined

And the winner is… Coimbra. On the third of March 30.000 supporters will probably fill the stands of the beautiful “Estádio Cidade de Coimbra” to watch the friendly match with the People’s Republic of China . I hope to be amongst them. 20:45 GMT on a Wednesday evening.

Besides China we are also set to face the Cape Verde Islands during the training period at Covilhã prior to departing for South Africa. Not really meant to test the readiness of the team I suppose, but to try out some of Queiroz’s tactical masterminded schemes… brace yourselves.

We will also face Mozambique some time after arriving in South-Africa. Mozambique recently played at the CAN 2010 with not much to show for it – 1 draw, 2 defeats, 2 goals scored, 7 goals conceded. But the match should provide us with a clearer view of Carlos Queiroz’s starting eleven.

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Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo fears 'complicated' group

Cristiano Ronaldo has emphasised the importance of hitting the ground running at next summer's World Cup after Portugal were handed one of the toughest possible draws for the group stages.

Portugal, who reached the finals courtesy of a play-off win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, must battle against Brazil, the Ivory Coast and North Korea for a place in the last 16 of the competition.

Five-time winners Brazil are the favourites for the tournament while African powerhouses Ivory Coast boast players of the calibre of Didier Drogba, Yaya and Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Eboue and Salomon Kalou.

And it is Portugal's clash with the Ivory Coast that Ronaldo believes could be crucial, with the two nations starting their Group G against each other in Port Elizabeth.

"Winning the first match will be very important," said Ronaldo, who could come up against Real Madrid team-mates Kaka and Marcelo as well as former Manchester United companion Anderson in the Brazil side.

"We have been handed a very complicated group. It's going to be difficult but I'm happy to be able to face my team-mates and friends.

"Football is always complicated. You cannot have regrets. We have to play well to win. We are motivated to face the best teams."

The world's most expensive player added: "Brazil are the strongest, but the Ivory Coast are also a great side. It's a difficult group. To get through it we have to be at our best."

If Portugal claim a top-two berth then it is possible they will come face to face with Iberian neighbours Spain in the last 16.

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That could pit Ronaldo against more of his Madrid team-mates in Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa and Raul Albiol.

Asked about the prospect of maybe facing the European champions so early in the World Cup, Ronaldo added: "If we get through and we play Spain I would be happy. They are a great team, but right now my only concern is the group stage.

"It will be a good sign if we face Spain. It will mean we've got through."

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Preview - World Cup Qualifying play-offs

The final European qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will be decided tonight, and every game is up for grabs. With attention on the Republic of Ireland, Football.co.uk previews the three remaining matches.

Bosnia (0) v (1) Portugal

Both sides have injury worries as Bosnia have an excellent chance of overturning the one-goal deficit in Zenica tonight.

Portugal may be without a number of high-profile stars for the game in Zenica, including ace Cristiano Ronaldo. Real Madrid expect him back in training on Friday, which is too late for him to have any impact in Bosnia.

Bruno Alves (ankle), goalscorer in the first leg, and Deco (muscle) are both worries as manager Carlos Queiroz faces a possible enforced tactical switch.

Bosnia will be hoping for a great start to the game but are also without key players. Emir Spahic, Elver Rahimic and Samir Muratovic all picked up bookings in Lisbon and are suspended for the return leg.

Slovenia (1) v (2) Russia

Slovenia striker Milijove Novakovic has rallied his team ahead of a crunch home encounter with Russia.

"Russia can count on real hell in Maribor. We will fight and try to score. When? It does not matter," the Cologne star said as his side prepare to overturn a one-goal deficit and qualify for the World Cup next year.

The Ljudski vrt Stadium has been a fortress for Slovenia during the qualifiers and, knowing they just need a 1-0 victory to qualify, they could hand a start to Nejc Pecnik, the scorer of their late equaliser.

Alan Dzagoev returns for the Russians, who have no fresh injury worries for the game. Manager Guus Hiddink believes that Slovenia have an advantage but added: "We have a one goal advantage and we will try to score, even though it will not be easy."

Ukraine (0) v (0) Greece

Ukraine go into this game as favourites to qualify for the World Cup after holding Greece to a scoreless draw in Athens.

Manager Oleksiy Myhaylychenko has just one player missing for the game as Grigoriy Yarmash is sick. Midfielder Anatoliy Tymoschuk said: "I have heard the excellent atmosphere in the stadium. The fans will support us and be our 12th man."

For Greece, Giorgios Karagounis and Sotiris Kyrgiakos both sat out training on Monday but are hoping to be fit for the clash.

The former European Champions have a slight advantage as any score draw would see them progress on away goals, Ukraine have to win to advance by right. Another 0-0 would take the tie to the lottery of a penalty shootout.

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The 90s era

During the draws for the Euro 1992 qualifying, the Netherlands was seen as the strongest team besides Portugal. Greece, Finland and Malta were the other teams. With five wins and eleven points, the Portuguese ended second behind the Dutch, who had two more points than Portugal. A famous result in this campaign was the 1–0 home win against the Dutch.

They participated in the friendly 1992 U.S. Cup along with the host, USA, Italy and Ireland in a round robin tournament. Portugal finished last with one point (six behind winners United States) from a draw with Italy (0–0). The other two games were defeats with USA (1–0) and the Republic of Ireland (2–0).

For the ’94 World Cup qualification, Portugal played in the same group as Estonia, Italy, Malta, Scotland and Switzerland for the two highest places. They disappointed, ending in third with fourteen points and six wins, just two points behind winner’s Italy and one behind second-placed Switzerland. In the last game of the round, Portugal were defeated by Italy in Milan. The Selecção managed to win 1–0 against Switzerland and 5–0 against the Scots, both were home wins. The then manager, Carlos Queiroz, blamed the Football Federation for this failure, saying that "They should clean the mess that the Federation has."


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1928 Olympic Tournament

After years of playing friendly games, Portugal was invited to enter the 1928 Summer Olympics Football Tournament, which was, at that time, contested by the best national "A" teams in the world and, therefore, considered to be the best international footballing tournament until the FIFA World Cup started, two years later, in 1930.

The Portuguese team was drawn in the preliminary round against Chile for a place in the first round. After falling 2–0 behind, Portugal scored four goals, winning the game 4–2 in what was their first win away from home soil. After their fantastic win against Chile, they faced off Yugoslavia and won 2–1 thanks to a late goal in the 90th minute.

Egypt was the team that followed in the quarter finals. Here the Portuguese adventure ended after a 2–1 defeat. In the following games, the Egyptians lost against Argentina (6–0) in the semi-final and Italy (11–3) for the bronze medal match, which bittered the players. Nevertheless, it was a bright start in international tournaments for the team.

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WC 2010 Final Draw: Brazil, Ivory Coast and North Korea

Beautiful Charlize Theron carefully picked out our opponents for the group phase. Sort of…

Brazil
North Korea
Ivory Coast

Fantastic! Some are already calling it the “Group of Death”.
I’m thrilled. This way there will be no slacking from the first minute!

First Game:
Ivory Coast, June 15, Port Elizabeth Stadium, 15:00 GMT

Arguably the best African team. Didn’t loose one game during the qualifiers (one draw), spat out 19 goals and conseeded only 4.
Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Salomon Kalou (Chelsea), Yaya Toure (Barcelona) and Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal) are just some of the names that help makeup an impressive line-up.
Carvalho, Deco and Paulo Ferreira all play at Chelsea and should know a good deal about exactly what is needed to dry them out. I’m betting on a marginal win here. 2-1 to be more precise.

Second Game:
North Korea, June 21, Green Point Stadium, 12:30 GMT

North Korea qualified second in his group after South Korea. Only scored 7 goals and conseeded 5. Lost 2, 3 draws and 3 wins.
So many Kim, Pak, Ri and Jongs make for a complete mystery team. Are they going for the surprise outsiders role or the we-are-so-happy-to-be-here-please-go-easy-on-us role? Let’s not go easy. 3-0. Just to make sure we don’t need anything spectacular going up against Brazil on the last match.

Third Game:
Brazil, June 25, Durban Stadium, 15:00 GMT

Haaaa. Brazil. Samba. Caipirinhas. Girls from Reef. 6-2. Aaaargghhh. Need to set things straight. 3-0. Goals from Deco, Pepe and Liedson. LMAO.

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Portugal team at World Cup 2010

The Coach: Carlos Queiroz (Mozambique, 56). Appointed: July 2008. WC experience: Player: None. Coach: None.

Queiroz could take advice from Sir Alex Ferguson if he has a problem next summer, having worked as his assistant, but he is a coach in his own right having led Portugal in the '90s, as well as South Africa and Real Madrid.

The Country: Portugal ended England’s hopes in 2006 when the world’s most famous winker, Cristiano Ronaldo, helped engineer Wayne Rooney’s departure. The Portugal captain missed the play-offs against Bosnia-Herzegovina, but still the country got through to qualify for their third successive finals.

A second-half strike by Raul Meireles was enough to break Bosnian hearts and send 2006 semi-finalists Portugal through to the finals. The Portuguese had won a hard-fought first leg 1-0 courtesy of a close-range header by Bruno Alves.

But Portugal limped through the first half of their qualifying programme prior to a late rally, winning only five of their 10 group games and finishing two points behind Denmark. Indeed, it was only in the last game that they succeeded in reaching the play-offs, so they will not arrive in South Africa highly confident, though if Ronaldo is fit, they have one player who can turn any game.

Their leading scorer in the qualifiers was Simao with just four goals, and they will hope that Chelsea midfielder Deco, now 32, can enjoy one more impressive finals performance. Others who are key to Portugal’s success include more players from Stamford Bridge: Jose Bosingwa, Paolo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho.

Telegraph verdict: Coach Queiroz has been pilloried but Portugal have been on the wane for the past two years. Still, they have Ronaldo and so cannot be easily dismissed even if they do look vulnerable.

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